Not What I Was Looking for, But I'm Glad I Found it
by ogeemattyb
Summary: Stiles is a Fox Spirit, and his best friend was just turned into a werewolf. Life is going to get a whole lot more interesting around Beacon Hills now. Or The one where Stiles was a Kitsune from the get go, and how that completely changed everything that happened.
1. How Everything Changed

So after the whole Possessed!Stiles thing, I had this great Idea for what if Stiles was a Kitsune before the whole werewolf shit went down. I have yet to read one that is like this, so I thought I would write it. There are conversations and parts that are thrown in here from the series, but I am changing a lot of things, so not everything is happening in the right order or is happening at all. In fact, when I get to season two, things are not going to be the same like at all. So please stick with me through the rough parts cause I think this could be something good, or at least I hope you will think it is.

* * *

Growing up as a Kitsune hasn't been the easiest of experiences, especially without the help of my mother. She died when I was eleven years old, fighting off a Nogitsune. A Void Spirit. My mother was of the Heaven Clan. There are thirteen kinds of Kitsune spirits and not all of them are good, but my mother, she was one of the strongest. She was just over seven hundred years old, something my father never really could wrap his head around, and she fought the Void to save the whole town. But in the end, it took her life to finish the task she set out to do. I was too young to help her; my powers were only just starting to show. But I have used what she has taught me and have hidden myself from everything. Natural and supernatural.

My father knows what I am. He knew what my mother was. But he has always been a bit intimidated by the whole supernatural world. Now that we really have nothing to do with it, I think he is happier. But I can tell he misses my mother every day. I haven't told anyone what I am because my mother always told me not to. I am Forest Kitsune, and the need to run in the woods is sometimes so great that I have to hole myself up in my closet just to contain myself. I don't tell dad any of what is going on with me in that aspect. I know he would listen if I did tell him, but I think that he just wants to turn a blind eye to the whole thing.

Nevertheless my curiosity often gets me into trouble. Like now, here I am listening into my father's phone conversation about a dead body out in the woods. And instead of listening to the rational part of my brain, I let the fox take some control and go over to find Scott so that we can go look for it.

"Stiles, what the hell are you doing?"

"You weren't answering your phone." So I only called once. He won't know that. "Why do you have a bat?" and he does. A wood bat that he is brandishing threateningly. I am still hanging upside down from where I fell to get to his window, but its' kind of fun, so I don't mind.

"I thought you were a predator." At this I can't help but laugh. While some Kitsune could be considered just that, I am far from a predator.

When I finally get myself under control again, Scott is looking at me weird. This is nothing new to our relationship so I don't make a fuss about it. "Look, I know it's late, but you gotta hear this. I heard my dad on the phone like twenty minutes ago. Dispatch called. They are bringing in like every officer from the Beacon Department, and even state police."

"For what?" The fact that he hasn't yet commented that I am _still_ hanging upside down just goes to show how good of a friend he is.

"Two joggers found a body in the woods." I pull myself up so I can jump down to the ground. I make it a bit less graceful than what I am truly capable of. So far I have portrayed myself as this spastic, flaily kid, and part of that is true, but when I really want to be I could be nimble and fluid as well.

"A dead body?"

"No, a body of water. Yes, dumb-ass, a dead body." Then I jump up so I am on the porch with him as we continue our conversation.

"You mean like murdered?"

"Nobody knows yet. Just that it was a girl, probably in her twenties."

"Hold on," Really? I want to go now! "if they found the body then what are they looking for?"

"That's the best part. They only found half." I pause for dramatic effect, and there is a look of shock on his face. "We're going." It takes some more convincing to get him to come. But after I make the argument that he just said last week that nothing exciting ever happens here, he put away the bat and locked up his house. His mom is working the night shift and we should make it back before she gets home. Dad won't be too happy that we are out there, so I have to make sure not to get caught.

The drive out to the preserve is filled with anxiousness and Scott's weariness. I can tell that he wants to go back, but at the same time wants to find out what is going on too.

As we get out of the jeep and enter the tree line, all of my senses are instantly on high alert. There is something out there, and now I just want to go back, but Scott has already started to make his way into the woods. "Scott, I think this was a bad idea. We should go home. You've been saying how you want to get on first line this year, so maybe we should go so you can get a full night's sleep before practice tomorrow." It is true. He has been saying how he wants to get better at lacrosse so he can get on first line, but I don't know how he will seeing as he is a severe asthmatic.

"Dude, you are the one who dragged me out here. _Now_ you're having second thoughts?" He just scoffs at me and keeps walking. I can't leave him out here alone, so I go after him hoping that nothing will happen to us. He stays ahead of me pulling the flashlight from my hand. Really it is only him that needs it anyway. Being a Kitsune has some great perks, amazing eyesight, superb hearing, increased healing, enhanced speed, and incredible reflexes. All of that is better than a wolf's, as in werewolf, but a wolf has a better sense of smell, and greater strength than I could ever hope to possess. Also, I am not pulled by the moon and have the ability to create Fox Fire. Really, all I have used this for is to create little balls of light to amuse myself with at night when I can't sleep. It can be used as a weapon though should the need arise. The illusions that my mother made are not within my wheelhouse yet. Sometimes I can make them, but they don't keep for very long. The fox form is something that I only just started mastering in the last year. Dad doesn't even know that I can do it yet. Mostly I stay holed up in my closet when I am transformed. There is no half shape for me like there is for a wolf, and for that I am grateful. The last power I have is not one that I will ever use. It is a form of mind control, and I could never use that on someone. To take someone's free will is the ultimate evil in my book. I know how to do it, kind of, but will never put it into practice. If I can't talk my way out of situation, then I don't deserve to get out of it.

"Just out of curiosity, which half of the body are we looking for?" Scott keeps walking forward, but turns his head to ask me.

"Uh, I'm not really sure."

"And, what if whoever killed the body is still out here?"

"I didn't think about that? Maybe we should turn around and go home. We can forget this ever happened."

He laughs and keeps going forward, slowly climbing up an embankment. "It's comforting to know you've planned this out with your usual attention to detail." He is wheezing a little by the time we reach the top and takes a quick puff from his inhaler before I pull him to the ground. There are flashlights moving towards us and I really want to just take him and get the hell out of there.

He gets up to start running parallel to the sweep coming our way. As I start to follow him I hear another sound deeper in the woods. There is a panting with a low growl accompanied by quick steps through the underbrush. It's the wolf. I turn to grab Scott and get the hell out of there, but he is gone. So I start to listen for him and try to pick up his scent. It is faint, and I can't get a grasp on it with all the other people moving through the trees. "Scott!" I whisper/yell his name, but get no response. So I start to race through the trees after him. I can't leave him to get mauled. I just hope I find him first.

Just as I am coming around a tree I am taken off guard by a dog and a deputy. I fall gracelessly to my ass and the dog quits it barking after I give it a strong glare. "Hold on, hold on. This little delinquent belongs to me."

Not wanting to give anything away in front of the deputy I play the idiotic son. "Dad, how are you doing?"

"So, do you listen in to all my phone calls?"

"No. Just the interesting ones."

"Now, where's your usual partner in crime?"

My hearing hones in on his heartbeat. It is farther off to the right. He isn't within hearing distance of us now, even if we were to yell. I need to get dad out of here and to Scott as quick as I can. "Who, Scott? Scott's home. Said he wanted to get a good night's sleep for the first day back at school tomorrow. It's just me_. In the woods. Totally alone_." I put some emphasis on the last few words, hoping that dad will understand that something is wrong.

The look in his eyes tells me he gets it and that I am in so much trouble when this is over. "Well, then I guess I am going to have to walk you back to your car." He comes over and puts a hand on the back of my neck just like mom used to when I was in trouble. "You and I are gonna have a conversation about something called invasion of privacy." He nods the deputy off and we start our trek deeper into the woods. As soon as we get a decent distance between us and the search unit, he drops his hand and then turns on me. "Now what in the hell is going on?"

"Okay, we need to keep moving. There is a wolf out here. I am pretty sure that it is what killed that girl. Scott pulled ahead of me and I lost him. He is out there on his own, and there is rouge wolf loose. We have to find him. You got those wolfsbane bullets with you?"

"A werewolf?" He sighs. "No, I didn't bring them."

"Dad, you need to have that stuff on you at all times. I know you don't like it, but it is the only thing that will keep you safe when I'm not around."

"It's not your job to protect me, Stiles."

"It is when it comes to this stuff. Now we have to get moving. I can hear Scott. He's over this way, and the wolf isn't too far off." I keep my pace sedated enough that dad can keep up with me. I don't want to lose him by moving too fast.

Then there is a howl and a scream. I'm too late. They aren't that far off now, so I pick up speed and get there just as the wolf is pulling away from Scott. He is so deformed. Nothing like what mom told me a werewolf should look like. Plus this guy's an Alpha. Those crimson red eyes are a dead giveaway. Great.

It doesn't take much thought for me to form a ball of lighting in my hand and hurl it at the wolf. He is just a little too slow to completely evade it and I get his left hind leg before he scurries into the trees. I light up another ball and keep it ready, just in case. But then Scott is groaning on the ground and dad is coming through the trees. I let the ball of lighting flicker out and drop to Scott's side. There is blood coming from his abdomen and when I pull back the sweatshirt there is a massive bite mark there. Shit. My best friend is going to turn into a werewolf. Great. Just great.

"Is he okay?"

"Kind of?"

"What do you mean kind of?"

"Uh, that was an Alpha. An Alpha's bite turns a human into a werewolf. Scott got bit by the Alpha."

"Shit."

"Exactly." I lean back on the heels of my feet and let my senses spread out again. I want to make sure that the wolf is gone for now. But something I wasn't expecting makes my nose twitch. The smell of decay. "Uh, dad, I think I know where the other half of that body is." We lift Scott together and I lead us to where the stench is coming from. About thirty feet from where Scott was sprawled out is half of a woman. The upper half. Then another scent hits me. "Dad, she was a werewolf too."

"Damnit." He calls in the location of the body and then tells me to get Scott home. When he wakes up I have some explaining to do. Hefting Scott's body onto one of my shoulders I make good use of my enhanced abilities to get us back to my jeep as fast as I can. The drive home is quite and all I can think about is how Scott is going to get a crash course in the supernatural world. But also, that I will finally get to share my secret with someone besides my dad for the first time ever. That prospect makes me a little bit happier.

Getting Scott into the house is a little easier because he has started to wake up and is able to shuffle up the driveway and into the house. Once we hit the living room I set him on the couch and go grab him a glass of water. When I come back into the living room he is sitting up, one hand rubbing his head as if he is in the thralls of a migraine, while the other is lightly pressing at the bite wound. "Stiles? What the hell just happened?"

I hand him the water and sit down on the coffee table in front of him. "Oh, Scotty. So we have a few things to talk about."

"Where are we? Weren't we just in the woods?"

"Uh, yeah, we were. But you got attacked and I had to haul your ass back to my place so you wouldn't freak out in the trees. No Blair Witch Project moment for you."

He gives a wince of a smile and takes a long pull at the glass of water. "What happened?"

"What do you know about werewolves?"

"Werewolves?"

"Yes, werewolves, you know, getting furry, howling at the moon, losing control of your body once a month? Werewolves?"

"This is some kind of sick joke, dude. I was just attacked and you think now is the time for jokes?"

"I wish I was joking Scott. I really do. You were bitten by an Alpha werewolf. The bite of an Alpha will turn you into one. Sorry dude, but you're gonna be one whether you like it or not."

He stands up and sways a bit before finding his balance. "Seriously, not funny."

I stand with him. "I know. Now if you just sit back down, I can-"

"No, I'm outta here. See you tomorrow at school. Maybe you can quit the joke then." He walks past me before I can stop him, and slams the front door as he leaves. Knowing Scott, he just needs a few days to process this. But the full moon is only a couple of days away, so he doesn't have much time to get his shit together. I don't want to hurt him, but I won't let him hurt anyone else either. I know he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did.

I sink back into the couch and pull out my phone to call dad. "Hey, kid. How'd the talk go?"

"Horribly. He left and didn't believe me. Wouldn't even give me time to prove to him that this shit is real. Dad, he is going to put so many people in danger."

"We'll keep him and everyone else safe, kid. Don't worry. He just needs some time. It's gonna be a while before I can make it home, I want you to go to the basement and close the door. I'll be home to let you out for school, don't worry. Keep your phone on you and please for the love of God, don't get into any more trouble."

"I won't dad. Stay safe yourself."

"Will do, son. Now try and get some sleep. I'll be home in a few hours." He hangs up and I take myself straight to the basement door. It is always left ajar when I am home alone. Since it is made of mountain ash, and the entire basement is lined in the stuff, it acts as a security system for the supernatural. I can't touch the door, but it is set on an automatic release from other side, so all I have to do it push the lever up to close the door.

Once I am down there I am nervous and scared. The last time we had and Alpha werewolf in town was when the Hales were here. They didn't know about us, and we kept out of their way. Since most of the family died, there has been a lack of supernatural activity in our little town. I have always wanted some adventure, but now I wish that it would just go away. I have a feeling that after tonight, my life is going to messy and filled with crazy things happening. I shuck all my clothes and then shift into my fox form to curl up to fall into a restless sleep.

…

The next day dad wakes me up with a raised eyebrow. He doesn't say anything, just sets some clothes down for me and heads back upstairs to start making breakfast. I shift and change then go up to meet him.

"When did that happen?" He doesn't turn from the stove, but keeps his voice light.

"Um, about a year ago." He makes a noise of acknowledgement and keeps cooking. I don't know what that is supposed to mean, so I let it drop for now. There is too much on my mind to think about it for too long. "So, do you know who the dead girl is?"

"You know I can't talk about open cases."

"I know, but dad, this is supernatural. You might need my help."

"Nope. Not going there with you. You need to keep yourself out of this."

"Dad, that's going to be hard with my best friend being turned into a werewolf." He sighs in resignation.

"I know. But I don't want to see you get hurt. This is dangerous Stiles, and I can't be there to protect you all the time."

"Dad, I can take care of myself. I have a few tricks up my sleeve that no wolf will ever see coming. Scott is gonna need me. And I'm gonna need you. Please." I'm not trying to be whiney, but dad has to understand how important all of this is.

"Fine, but I'm not going to tell you anything about this case unless you absolutely need to know it. So, no, we don't know who the Jane Doe is yet. But we are running her fingerprints through the system. I got them to hold off on the blood test for a little bit, but I don't know how long I'll be able to put that off."

"Okay, I think you should be fine with her blood. Pretty sure that the werewolf gene doesn't show up with everything else. Although that would be interesting if it did."

"Now you need to go to school. Try and talk to Scott again, but don't push him too far. And I want you home by seven. It gets darker quicker now, and I don't want you out with an Alpha prowling about. Understand?"

"Yeah, dad. I got it." I start to pick up my bag and grab my keys, then turn and wrap my arms around dad in a tight hug. "Stay safe, I can't lose you too." He hugs me back tightly then lets me go.

Once I get to school, I try to find Scott, but he is talking with some guys from the lacrosse team and is adamantly avoiding me. Our first class together is English and he pointedly sits facing the front of the room away from me, and I don't get the chance to grab his attention before the bell rings.

The teacher starts to talk about the dead body and how the police have a suspect in custody, lie, and that we should focus on the work at hand. Just as he starts to give his overview of the semester, Scott flinches. It takes me a second to open my senses to hear what he is, and it leads to this girl sitting outside talking on the phone. A new girl. Scott's on high alert as they make their way into the school. Then one of the guidance counselors opens the door to the class room. "Class this is Allison Argent-" and at that, I quit listening to everything else he has to say and keep my eyes on her. Argent. _Argent._ The Argents are one of the most infamous Hunting families to ever exist. The fact that they are in Beacon Hills just as a new Alpha appears is no coincidence.

She walks into the classroom and takes the only seat available. Next to me and behind Scott. My heart is thudding in my chest and then I hear Scott's too. But when I look at him I have to stop a groan from escaping my mouth. There are freaking hearts in his eyes. Of course Scott would have to go and gush after one of the only things that's capable of taking him out. Now I really have to talk to him. He can't even think about this girl, and he has to keep his nose so clean that dust will be afraid to settle there.

It isn't until lacrosse practice that I am able to talk to him for any length of time. But just as we are about to sit on the bench, coach comes over and hands Scott the Goalie equipment. As he heads out onto the field I can tell that this will either blow up and be terrible, or he will swing with his new found abilities and everything will be fine. Either way, he is about to make an impression on the coach and rest of the team.

The first ball hits him square in the head and he goes down with it, but every ball after that he catches. Even Jackson's. All I can do is chew on my glove and wait for him to come back over to me. When practice is finally over and we are headed to my car, it's as if he hadn't ignored me all day long. He was still reeling from practice and I can't bring myself to break his happy mood.

That is until he tells me that he wants to go out to the woods to search for his missing inhaler. "Scott, I told you, that isn't a good idea."

"You still aren't on this werewolf thing, are you?" I start to make my way out there and as we hit the preserve I make sure to keep all my senses open like I did last time.

"Scott, how do you explain how you suddenly, overnight, managed to get so good at lacrosse? I mean, you have had virtually zero experience as goalie, yet you managed to catch every single shot that was thrown at you. How were you able to do that?"

"I don't know. It was like I had all the time in the world to catch the ball."

"Exactly. You're reflexes are better. And how about the other stuff?"

"What other stuff?"

"Like how you heard the new girl on the phone when she was outside? I bet hearing isn't the only sense that is heightened right now is it?"

"How did you know that I heard that?"

"Cause I was paying attention to you, and I was able to hear it too."

"How?"

"I'm a Kitsune. A fox spirit. So was my mom."

"What? Is that even a real thing?"

"Yes, want me to prove it to you?"

"How are you gonna prove it to me?"

I don't respond, I just hold out a hand and create a ball of light in my hand. Then I let it dance around us before extinguishing it. "Enough proof for you?"

He still looks skeptical. "That could have been a party trick."

"Fine." After taking a sweep of the surroundings not sensing anything I let the Kitsune aura push to the surface so that Scott can see it.

"Dude!" He holds out a hand as if to touch the glowing force around me and I pull back reflexively.

As I let it fade we continue our walk through the trees. "You can't tell anyone. There are people out there who hunt us down. Many of them shoot first and ask questions later. Some of them just shoot."

"Okay, but I-" I clamp a hand over his mouth and shush him. There is someone walking through the trees not too far away from us. Making sure my Aura is hidden away, I whisper to Scott to act natural and to get behind me if things get ugly. He nods and he bends down to look through the underbrush. "I swear this is where I lost it. Those things are like eighty bucks, my mom is gonna kill me if I don't find it."

If none of that was true we would have been screwed. Scott isn't the best of actors, and it takes all I have to not keep looking in the direction where the person is coming from. It isn't until he is visible through the trees that I hit Scott and make him stand to look at the stranger with me. But as I take a closer look and get a slight hint of the guys scent do I realize that this is Derek Hale. Hale as in the wolf pack that used to live here.

He stalks towards us with a glower on his face. "What are you doing here? Huh? This is private property." If you weren't paying attention you wouldn't see what Derek is doing as he talks. But I am always paying attention to the actions of others around me. His nostrils flare a bit taking in our scents, his head turns just a bit to the side as if he is listening to our heartbeats, and his pupils dilate when he comes to smell that Scott is a wolf.

"Uh, Sorry, man, we didn't know." Truth. I didn't know where the Hale territory line stood because one, I don't go running in the woods, and two the Hale's haven't lived here in almost six years.

"Yeah, we were just looking for something, but…" Derek raises his eyebrows waiting for an answer. "Uh, forget it." Derek pulls his hand out of the pocket of his leather jacket, which totally suits him by the way, and tosses Scott's inhaler at him then turns and walks away with a final glare at us.

I hold us back until I am sure that Derek is out of earshot. "Do you know who that was?"

"No, do you?"

"That was Derek Hale. He's not that much older than us. His family died in a fire at their house like six years ago."

"I wonder what he's doing back?"

"Didn't you pick up on it?"

"On what?"

"He's a werewolf. It's a very distinctive smell. Don't worry, it's nothing bad, just noticeable. I thought you had."

"I mean I thought I smelled something, but…"

"Okay, I really need to get you up to speed on all things wolfy. Or at least the things I can. Plus the full moon is tomorrow, so you may need to come over to my place. I can't help you control the wolf, but I can make sure you won't hurt anyone."

"Dude, can we talk about this later? I have to go to work."

I sigh. He isn't taking this as seriously as he needs to be. But I can't rush him through this either. I hand him my keys. "Fine. I have something I gotta take care of. I'll come pick this up on my way home. You're mom's picking you up from work right?"

"Yeah. What are you gonna do?"

"Nothing you have to worry about buddy. Just make sure to keep you head down. I'll talk to you later." He nods and then heads off to the jeep. But I turn and try and pick up Derek crunching through the underbrush. It's faint so I use his scent that is fading with the wind to follow him until I can hear him again. Staying quite in a forest isn't the easiest of feats, but I am not a Forest Kitsune for nothing. When I want to, I can go unnoticed. It has taken some intense practice, but snooping around dad's things has given me just that. I have yet to get caught red handed going through his stuff.

His trail leads back to a burned down house in a small clearing in the woods. This is the old Hale house. Many of my classmates have come out here in attempts of 'bravery' and just to vandalize the ruins. "I know you're out there, so you might as well come out."

Derek is standing on the front porch of the house staring off in my direction. He must be able to hear my heartbeat. I guess wolves have better hearing than I thought. Well, I guess there's no more use hiding in the shadows. "Didn't know wolves had such good hearing."

If he is surprised that I know about the existence of wolves he doesn't show it. "Well your friend is a wolf, shouldn't you have some firsthand experience?"

"No, he was only just turned last night. The Alpha that is out there is the one that bit him. I assume that is why you are back in town?" I try to keep my voice casual, but I am sure that I failed miserably.

"Yes and no." I wait for more, be he doesn't say anything.

"Okay? Then why are you here?"

"Why should I tell some scrawny kid?"

"Fair point, but since I know all about you, and my best friend just joined your little furry club, I think that I have a right to know why there has been a sudden appearance of werewolves in Beacon Hills. Scott is going to have to deal with this Alpha, which means that I am going to have to deal with this Alpha. Personally, I like to work with as much information as possible. Now, we can either work together or separate, but seeing as you are probably only a Beta, but more probably an Omega, you will need help to take care of this rouge Alpha. Assuming that is one of the reasons that you are here. Plus, Scott could use the help of a wolf to learn control. I can only help him so much, since my knowledge of wolves is sparse at best. Did I leave anything out?"

He raises his eye brows at me. There is a glare that is trying to come through, but it morphs along the way to something indecipherable. He waits a few more minutes having an internal debate with himself then finally relents. "Fine. Let's talk."

"Good, but not here. The Alpha could be around anywhere, and I for one don't want to run into him. You got a car?"

He waits another minute but then moves down the steps to the side of the house. I follow and see a sleek black Camaro parked there. Letting out a whistle, I can't help but appreciate his ride. "Of course you would drive this. It's like sex on wheels." He raises an eyebrow at me again, but then drops it as we get in the car. After I give him directions to the animal clinic we delve into silence. He isn't much of a talker, and while normally I would be all about filling the quite with my ramblings, something about this guy settles the normally restlessness that resides within me. It's probably just his calm and cool demeanor.

After we get to the clinic I get out and tell him I'll be right back. Then I make my way in to get my keys from Scott and I tell him to call me later. He nods and goes back to work. Getting back into my Jeep I motion for Derek to follow me and he does without so much as a wave in acknowledgement.

When we get back to my house I pull in the driveway and am thankful to see that dad isn't home yet. Derek is there just as I am getting the door open. I usher him into the living room. "Can I get you something to drink?" He doesn't say anything, just stands there. I roll my eyes and get two glasses of water, then come back and hand him one. He sets it on the table and sits only after I do. I can tell he doesn't want to beat around the bush so I just dive straight in. "Okay, so what I know is that the Alpha was in the woods last night and he killed someone. She was a wolf, he ripped her in half and separated the pieces. Then when Scott and I were foolishly looking for the other half of the body, we got separated. By the time I knew where they were, it was too late. Scott was bitten, so the best I could do was scare it off and hope that it wouldn't come back."

Derek is quite for a long time, and I think that he isn't going to say anything. But his face is showing different emotions than I thought he would be expressing. It's grief, guilt, and pain. "He killed Laura." It comes out low, and at first I don't know who it is he is talking about, but then I remember dad talking about the only survivors of the Hale fire were Derek, Laura, and their uncle Peter.

"Oh, Derek, I didn't know."

His face hardens and loses all the emotions that were just displayed there. If I hadn't seen them for myself, I would have sworn they never appeared. "How did you scare it off?" He looks like he doesn't believe that I am capable, which for all intent and purposes, I'm not.

And before I know it, I find myself telling him. A complete stranger. I am telling a stranger what I am. "I'm a Kitsune. I used some of my fox fire, I only managed to graze his leg, but that will stay with him for a little while. I know electricity is one of your guys' downfalls."

"You're a Fox Spirit?"

Tired of people not believing me, I let my aura slip through so he can see it. When it becomes visible, his posture changes from somewhat relaxed to tense all over. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you. I have no intention of attacking a possible ally. Scott needs your help, and you are going to need mine. Two Betas aren't a match for an Alpha. You know that, and I know that. We need to work together on this."

His shoulders stay somewhat tense, but the rest of him relaxes enough to slouch against the back of the couch he was sitting on. "I came here looking for my sister, Laura. She came back a few days ago looking for answers. A letter came in the mail a few weeks ago and it showed that there was some werewolf activity going on back here. Have you noticed anything?"

My cheeks flush a bit at the question. "No. I don't go out much. Dad likes me to keep things under wraps, so I don't get to go out in the preserve as often as I might otherwise like." He nods but says nothing about my lack of bonding with nature.

"She didn't check in two days ago so I decided to come here in search of her. But I was too late." He hunches in on himself, and I don't think he realized he is doing it.

I don't know what makes me do it, but I cross the room and rest a hand on his shoulder giving him some support. "How would you have known? This isn't your fault. But you can claim her body, my dad should be home in an hour or two, why don't you stay for now, and talk to him when he gets here?"

He almost flinches at the contact of my hand, but doesn't move away either. "I don't think that would be wise."

"No, I think it is. My dad is the Sherriff. You would have to talk to him anyway. Where are you staying?" He doesn't answer and looks sort of guilty. "You are not staying in that house are you?" The guilty looks stays, but then turns a glare in my direction. "Nope, not gonna happen. You're staying here tonight and then you can find a motel room or apartment tomorrow. I assume you are staying at least until this is taken care of, so you better get comfy buddy." He looks like he is about to argue, but then thinks- better of it. A wise decision on his part, but he still seems a little unsure. "Seriously. It's cool. You need a place to stay and this way you are protected. Plus there are Hunters in town."

"What?"

"Yeah, new girl joined our class today. Last name's Argent-" I don't get to say anything more because Derek lets loose one angry growl. "Calm down dude! No shredding the furniture with your wolfy claws. I know it's bad, but I think-"

"It is worse than bad." His eyes keep flashing from his normal hazel to a bright icy blue and his fangs are slowly creeping past his lips.

It takes all of two seconds for me to put the pieces together. "It was them." I'm not even sure that he heard me. That is until he manages to get himself under control and give me an assessing look. "They are the ones that burned your family."

"Not all of them. Just one."

"Okay. So this is really bad. They don't know you're back yet, right?" He shakes his head. Okay. My mind starts racing trying to put together a plan for the shit storm that is surely going to be coming our way. "Right. They only know about the wolfy activity that has been happening around here then, so you have to stay so far under the radar. So does Scott. They don't know about me, no one knows about me. So if we can take care of the Alpha then we can get rid of them."

"It's not going to be that easy."

"I know it won't be, but if we can try it out for now, maybe we can let this all take care of itself. I mean there is no point in showing our entire hand all at once, right?"

He crosses his arms over his chest in a very defensive manner. "How do I know that I can trust you? I don't even know your name."

"Oh, my, God! How rude of me!" I hold out my hand to him. "My name is Stiles. No, it's not my real name, and no I won't tell you what that name is. So it's Stiles, or Stilinski if you are one of the teachers that I loathe." He doesn't shake my hand but raises an eyebrow instead. I have a feeling that the more I communicate with this guy, the more he will use his eyebrows as expressions. Best start learning that language then. I pull my hand back and move to stand. "I guess I should get started on dinner then. How about lasagna? Full of carbs, some meat, that should fill you right up. I know you wolves tend to eat a bit more than normal."

The silence that emanates from Derek is terminal I swear. I rock back on my heels for a moment before moving off to the kitchen to start. After about five minutes he moves to sit at the kitchen table. He glances around the room taking note of all the exits, and when his eyes land on the basement door, he withdraws a bit. "Don't worry. That is for my protection. Dad and I set up a few years ago just in case some supernatural baddie decided to traipse through town. I was too young to do anything about it then, but now it is an added layer of security. The whole basement is lined in Mountain Ash, so nothing can get in."

"And nothing can get out." He looks a little green around the edges for a moment, but it is quickly replaced by what must be his permanent scowl. I don't know what is running through his head, but none of it seems pleasant.

Again we lapse into silence and it is only when my father pulls in the driveway that Derek tenses again. "Stiles, I'm home."

"In the kitchen dad, we have a guest."

"Did Scott finally decide to listen to you?" He walks into the room and stops in the doorway looking at Derek seated at the table with a hand on his holster. "Stiles, care to make introductions?"

"Dad, this is Derek Hale, Derek, this is my father, John Stilinski." My tone goes from cheery to somber quickly. "Dad, that girl in the woods, it was Laura Hale. Derek's sister. " Dad's grip on his piece tightens and I have to quickly move between the two of them to stop my dad from doing something stupid. "He is not the enemy. He is here to help us."

"And how do we know he's not the Alpha?"

"First off, because it was his own sister, secondly, their scents are different, third, his eyes are blue. Alphas have red eyes. Derek is a Beta."

Dad relaxes a bit and moves to sit across the table from Derek. "Sorry, just have to make sure that my son is safe."

"It's no problem sir. I understand."

"Oh, and dad. Derek is spending the night here tonight. He was trying to sleep in his old house. I won't let him."

"_Stiles_."

"No dad, there are Hunters in town. He isn't safe out there. Plus he can help train Scott in ways that I can't."

Dad's eyes narrow. "Hunters? How do you know?"

"New girl in school today. Her last name is Argent. Mom warned me about them. They are one of the most feared groups in the supernatural community. They mainly go after werewolves, but they aren't shy about taking out any kind of supernatural creature. Even the harmless ones."

"Son, you can't start making accusations-"

"It's true, sir. It was one of them that burned my family to the ground. I know that for a fact."

Dad seems to contemplate what he has heard. "I knew it was too easy. Never had the proof though."

"What are you talking about dad?"

"The fire. It was just before your mother died. The fire inspector said it was an electrical fire, but no electrical fire I've ever heard of could start that fast and burn that strong. You said you know who started it?" He looks at Derek with an intense gaze that says he is in detective mode.

"Yes. I know who started it."

"Well then, I may just have to reopen the case and start digging a little bit. But for now, I agree. You will stay here. If you are helping my son, the least I can do is offer you a warm bed."

Derek looks a bit flushed at the offer. "You really don't have to sir. I can find a place to stay."

"Nonsense. This way they won't know you're back, assuming they don't know already, and there is a -little extra protection for my son. He doesn't know how to keep himself out of trouble and I could use an extra set of eyes. If you really feel that badly about it you can pay for groceries and utilities. But I would feel a lot safer if you were here."

Derek just nods and I fist pump internally. I don't know why I was so open and insistent with Derek, but it has led to having an ally in this mess that has started. Now if only things can get back to peaceful.

…

The next day at lacrosse practice Scott is a little crazy. He pulls off moves that he couldn't have done three days ago. So I make sure he comes over after school so we can talk a bit without anyone over hearing us. Derek is out, he said that he had to make a few arrangements for his and Laura's things in New York, and that he would be back a little after us. "Scott, are you ready to take this seriously now?"

"Stiles, I can't think about this right now. I have to pick up Allison in an hour. We'll talk tomorrow." His shoulders lift and fall in an uncaring way, and then looks at me trying to give off a hint of finality.

"Tomorrow? What!?No!" I spaz out a bit. Fails and everything. "The full moon's tonight. Don't you get it?"

"What are you trying to do? I just made first line. I got a date with a girl who I can't believe wants to go out with me-"

"Yeah, who's from a family of Hunters, by the way!"

"-and everything in my life is somehow perfect. Why are you trying to ruin it?" He just kept talking like I hadn't even said anything. This is so typically Scott that it physically hurts to be his best friend right now. But that's the thing. He will hurt someone if I don't stop him.

"I'm trying to help. This is something you have to deal with now whether you like it or not. It isn't going to go away. It's not just about the moon. This will cause a physical change in you, and it will be when your bloodlust will be at its peak."

"Bloodlust." He says is petulantly.

"Yeah, your urge to kill. Is any of this sinking in yet?"

"Yeah, I'm already starting feel an urge to kill, Stiles."

"Scott, if you don't listen to me, you could seriously hurt someone. If you hurt anyone how would you feel after, when you realize what you have done? You can't go out tonight. You have got to cancel this date." I get up and move to get his phone out of his backpack.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm canceling the date."

"No, give it to me!" He starts to push me against the wall, but I twist out of his grasp and turn us around so he is the one against the wall. Then I raise a ball of lighting to hover over his face in a clear warning. It takes him a minute to calm down and when he finally realizes what he almost did he starts to apologize. "I'm sorry." I back away from him and let the fox fire dissipate. He looks somewhat shaken and starts to move towards his stuff and the door. "I've got to get and get ready for that party. I'm sorry."

It's half a lie. He is sorry for the way he reacted, but it wasn't enough to stop him outright. After I hear him leave the house I kick the chair I was sitting in and then turn with another ball ready to fire when Derek eases in through the window. "Are you okay?"

I let it dissipate for the second time and move to pick up the chair. "Yeah. He just won't listen to me. He's going with the Argent girl, and he's going on a full moon. We have to go. I can't let him hurt anyone."

"Are you going to be able to stop him?"

"I will do what I have to." He cocks his eyebrow at me in disbelief. "I will. I won't kill him, but I will subdue him long enough to lock his ass up in my basement. He has to learn that this is going to be with him for forever. It's a part of him now." His eyebrow rises again. "What?"

"Nothing, just didn't expect you to feel so strongly."

"We were born like this. It has been a part of our lives forever. He is new to this, but it's not going to change anytime soon. He needs to understand that. I know what it's like to come into new powers and not understand them. It's hard, but it can be done."

He nods, "Okay, let's go." I nod and grab a button up shirt on my way out. We get in Derek's car and head to the party.

…

When Scott starts to lose control, I have Derek take him and get him to the car while I handle Allison. "So Scotty isn't feeling well, he has to go home. Sorry." She is about to say something else, but I dodge out and make my way quickly to the car so that we can get him home.

It doesn't take long with the way Derek drives to get back to my house. Dad's home and I lead Derek, who is handling Scott, down to the basement and close the door from the inside. "Dad! Don't let us out until I say. Sorry for any noises that we make tonight. It's going to be a rough one."

"Be careful son."

Once I walk back down the stairs I see Derek sitting there talking with Scott, trying to get him to calm down and gain control. I try not to listen in too closely to what they are saying, but can't help but overhear him talking about anchors and focusing on something. He looks over at me and then tells Scott to dig his claws into his arm. Scott does it and he is able to shift back from what must be his Beta form. "I don't recommend using this every time, but pain can help. It keeps you human, just like anger and lust can make you shift into the wolf. You need to find an anchor and then you won't need to hurt yourself like that."

I can't help but wonder, "What's your anchor?"

"Anger." It is short but to the point. Makes sense that a guy with this many issues would use anger. "Family." It comes out quietly and I am sure that we were not meant to hear it, but fox hearing is better than a wolf's. I know that Derek has suffered through a lot, maybe by helping Scott he can get some of what he was missing back. I don't know what is going to come our way with the Alpha and the Hunters, but at least I'm not alone in trying to handle it.

* * *

Okay, so I have the next chapter written, and the one after that started. I have been putting this off for so long now that I felt I needed to post something. I hope that this will give me the drive to keep writing and not let me slack off any more. I know where I want the story to go, I have some great one-liners planned, and a few plot twists that I hope you won't see coming.

Thanks to all my continued supporters, Anywhere Place just went over 20,000 views, and I am both shocked and amazed that it has gotten that many. So thank you for your continuing support in my works.

And as always, please, please, please, leave me your feedback and comments. I love to hear what you guys have to say, good or bad(Mostly good!). It helps me come up with new ideas, and keeps my inspiration flowing. Plus I like to know that you guys like what I am putting out there. So please don't be afraid to tell me what you think!


	2. Make New Friends and Being a Badass

The rest of the night passes in a blur of Scott half transforming and Derek trying to calm him down. I want to help, but I don't have a clue how to go about doing so. Mostly, I sit in the corner and try to stay out of the way. By the time the sun rises, Scott is sleeping on the mattress while Derek and I are sitting on opposite ends of the beat up couch. "Thanks for helping dude. There's no way I could have gotten him through that alone."

"You know, this isn't the last time this will happen right? Unless he finds an anchor he will go through this every full moon. Eventually it will bleed into his everyday life, and he will go feral."

"I know, but now he has a month to try and figure things out. If he had stayed at that party who knows what would have happened."

"He needs to learn control. He should quit lacrosse until he finds an anchor. If he starts to get stressed during a game, he could hurt himself and anyone there. Not to mention out himself and us to the world at large."

"Good luck trying to convince him of that."

"Stiles-" I never thought my name could sound like a swear word before.

"No, I get it. Believe me, I do. I just know Scott, and he isn't going to quit even if you tell him to. Just like he probably won't stop trying to see Allison. He's got a really big heart, but he isn't always the brightest bulb." He just gives me this look as though he isn't impressed. "Look, I'll try to talk to him. I can't make any promises, but sometimes he does listen to me." He gives a curt nod and looks back over to Scott. I turn to look at him too, and then gaze down at my hands. All of a sudden I am nervous and I don't know why. "But, you'll be there, right? Just in case?" I watch him out of the corner of my eye. He is still for a moment before nodding. Finally, I breathe a sigh of relief. "Thanks. I don't think I could handle all this without you. I know about werewolves, but not nearly as much as you do. Scott will come around, it just might take some time." Dad opens the door a few minutes later saying that he has breakfast ready for us. Time to start the day, and I can tell it's going to be a long one.

…

The ride to school starts quietly. Scott looks like he wants to ask me something so I finally give in. "Dude, just ask. I can tell you are about to give yourself a hernia from the strain of keeping it in."

He laughs and lets out a breath. "Sorry I didn't believe you about all this. I mean, it is kinda crazy."

"Yeah, it can be. But it's your life now, you have to accept that."

"I know." From his tone I can tell that he is resentful for the new change to his life. I mean, yeah it sucks that he didn't get to choose this life, but the perks will be amazing. I can already hear the difference in his breathing. Asthma will be a thing of the past. "So… what are you again?"

He looks a bit sheepish. He wasn't really taking me seriously when I was telling him everything. "I'm a Kitsune."

"A what?"

"A fox spirit."

"Isn't that like Japanese or something?"

"Saying the Kitsune can only be Japanese is like saying that only white people can be American. Kitsune live everywhere, the Japanese were just the first to recognize us for what we were and give us a name. Mom is European, but she said that she spent quite a bit of time in Japan. They didn't judge her so much and she was able to show more of herself there. They revered her. She was part of the Divine clan though, I wouldn't have gotten the same treatment as her."

"Wait, how old was your mom?"

"She was around seven hundred years old when she died."

"Dude! How old are you?"

"I'm sixteen idiot!" I can't help but to laugh. "You and I went to middle school together, remember?"

"Well, you could be older."

"Nah, we age the same until we hit our twenties, then it slows down dramatically. I'll still look like I'm in my twenties even after my third or fourth century."

"Damn dude!"

"Yeah, but I would rather not think about that just yet. For now, I'm a sixteen year old who only just got his driver's permit. And my best friend is a werewolf who needs to learn everything he can about being one. You only have a month until the next full moon. Shit is real."

"I know. Thanks for being there for me."

"It wasn't just me. Derek did all the work, I just sat there and tried to stay out of the way."

"Do you think we can really trust him? How do you know he isn't the one who bit me?"

"He didn't bite you, Scott. He's only a Beta, like you. Only an Alpha can turn someone."

"How do you know he isn't the Alpha?"

"Alphas have red eyes when they turn, Betas have gold or blue. His are blue." I don't say why his are blue and Scott doesn't think to ask. I know the reason, but I am not judging Derek before I really get to know him. If he killed an innocent then he must have had a good enough reason. I don't know why I feel that way, but I do. And when dealing with the supernatural you learn to trust your instincts. "So yeah, we can trust him. You know it was his sister that was killed right, that body in the woods? He wouldn't kill one of his only remaining family members. In case you didn't notice, he is pretty tore up about it. I'm surprised he managed to stay in control last night." Scott looks like he's thinking. Possibly ready to resist. "Listen. He is staying to at least help with the Alpha, we think it was him who killed Laura, his sister, he said he would help you learn control. And to do that, you may have to quit lacrosse for a while-"

"What?! I can't do that! Our first game is coming up! I've been working towards this for years!" His eyes start to turn yellow and I know that I have to calm him down fast.

"Breathe, Scott. You gotta calm down." Once he his breathing regularly again I continue. "That, right there, is why you are gonna have to quit. When you get angry, or frustrated, or have too much adrenaline running through your system, it triggers the change. You don't have control yet, so you will start to shift and if you do that you will probably hurt someone. Not to mention expose yourself to the world and put a target on you from the Hunters."

"But Stiles-"

"Scott, seriously. This will put others in danger. Also, you gotta stay away from Allison. I don't know if she knows about the supernatural yet or not, but her family is one of the biggest names in the hunting community. Did you know that Argent is the French word for silver? Werewolves are weak to silver; it is a play on the legend, not a literal translation."

"But Stiles, I really like her."

"Dude, if she is a Hunter, do you think she would think twice about shooting you up with wolfsbane?" He doesn't say anything, and I don't know if what I said got through to him. Knowing Scott, it didn't. But I did try. "Just, be really careful, okay?" He nods and the rest of the ride is spent in silence.

Once we get to school he is off with a few words and I can tell where he is headed already. Allison is standing with Lydia and Jackson. He starts to apologize and I can't even stay around to be within hearing distance. This is not going to end well. It will only be a matter of time before their Romeo and Juliet romance gets one or both of them hurt/killed.

…

After school is lacrosse practice, and as we hit the field I see Derek standing at the tree line to the woods. The tenseness that I have been carrying around all day relaxes a bit. Scott kept some distance from me all day, and tried to secretly apologize and make up with Allison. From the sounds of his heartbeat in the locker room he managed to gain her forgiveness. As Coach starts practice I head over to where Derek is standing. "So I talked to him, but he won't see sense when it comes to her or this stupid game." He gives me those damn eyebrows. "What?"

"If you think it's stupid, why do you play?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Scott wanted to play, so I did the best bro thing and joined with him."

"But you aren't first string? Why not? You could run circles around them."

"Yeah, I could. But that wouldn't fit with the illusion I created for myself a long time ago. They all see me as this spastic kid with ADHD. And while my mind is often thinking of many things at once, I can actually be quite nimble. I've spent my whole life hiding who I am, showing off to impress these jerks, just seems pointless." He is giving me another look, but this is one I can't read.

It's at this point that I hear Scott's heart rate accelerate, and turn just in time to see him rush Jackson. There is an audible crunch as they clash and Jackson goes down hard. Scott follows but it's to his knees. I don't even think as I am racing to the field to Scott's side. "Dude, you gotta get up now. You are turning." He is a bit shaky, but makes it to his feet and we scramble towards the locker room.

We barely make it through the door before his eyes turn gold and fangs protrude from his mouth. Yeah, not good. I scramble back to get some space between us and duck around the corner of the lockers. Scott jumps up on top of them and follows me as I make my way through the small maze. Right as he leaps for me I hurl a small ball of fox fire at him making him stop in his tracks with the sudden jolt of electricity.

Derek appears behind me and Scott snarls on the floor for a moment before his heart slows and he is able to pull off the helmet that he was still wearing to sit up. "Stiles? What happened?"

I drop down to a crouch in front of him with Derek still at my back. "You tried to kill me? It's like I told you before. It's the anger, it's your pulse rising. It's a trigger."

"And it's going to be a lot more violent if you end up killing someone on the field." Derek adds his bit standing with me on this fact.

"You can't play Saturday. You are gonna have to get out of the game."

"But I'm first line."

"Not anymore." He looks between me and Derek before nodding his head. We both change and get ready to leave. Scott hops on his bike and makes his way back home. I know he is depressed about not being able to play, but at least he was wise enough to agree. Derek lingers for a moment though. "Need a ride?" He inclines his head and gets into the passenger seat.

The silence is heavy until I reach the first red light. "You did a good job handling him."

"Uh, thanks?"

He hesitates a moment more before continuing. "Thank you for offering me a place to stay. I know it's an inconvenience for you and your father."

"It's really not that big a deal. I mean, you're helping us, so it's the least we can do." He raises an eyebrow at me again. By now I am just getting used to it. "What?"

"It's nothing." Blip.

"Yeah, see, I have better hearing than _any_ wolf does, and I can tell you just lied."

His eyes go a bit wide at that, and it actually takes him a few more minutes to continue. "Just not used to strangers and kindness."

"You are pretty cynical, aren't you? I mean you have good reason to be, but the last thing I am going to do is lie to you, and you need help. It's kind of in my blood to help."

"I thought that Kitsune were foxes, and that you should never trust a fox."

"Yeah, well, I'm not your typical Fox." He rolls his eyes at the smirk I throw his way. "But really, there are a lot of stereotypes about foxes, and only half of them are true. Well, at least for me. You can trust me Derek, I get it if you don't right now, but maybe someday you will." I leave it at that. If I were in his position I wouldn't trust to easily either, I mean, I usually don't anyway, but, yeah.

When we get back to the house I text a few of the guys on the team to find out about how Jackson is doing. He apparently has a separated shoulder. I text Scott to let him know and he says that his mom is going to take off for the game on Saturday. So I call him. "Scott, we have to tell your mom."

"What?! No! We can't tell her."

"Why not? This is going to involve her too. You are going to be out late at night and you're not always going to be able to account for your actions or behavior. Its better she finds out because you told her rather than figuring it out on her own or because you are shifting in front of her. Trust me, this is the better option. If you want, Dad and I can come over and help. She might take it better with another adult there."

He is silent for a few minutes. "I just don't want her to get hurt."

"I know, neither do I. That's why you should tell her."

"Okay."

"Great. I'll bring dad by with some food after he gets done with work. Your mom doesn't go in till late, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'll see you soon then."

"Yeah, see ya." He seems a bit distracted for the last part of our conversation, but he is probably trying to psych himself up for the talk he is going to have tonight. After that I call dad.

"Hey son, what's up?"

"Um, Scott is going to tell his mom tonight about the whole werewolf thing, and I thought that as a fellow parent to the supernatural, you might be able to help her deal with it?"

He gives a long sigh. "Yeah, she should know. I just wish you kids didn't have to deal with this shit."

"I know dad, but we do. So I'll see you at the McCall's after you're done with your shift?"

"Yeah. I'll see you there."

We hang up and I go downstairs to start making something to bring over, just a simple casserole. Derek walks in just as I put it in the oven. "I should go with you."

"Listening in on my conversations now?" I let a small smile and light laugh out just to let him know I am teasing, but he stays serious as ever. It's not like I'm being hypocritical or anything right now.

"Sorry, but, I should be there. Just in case."

"Well, he won't hurt his mom, and I could stop him before anything too terrible happened, but if it will help ease your guilt complex, then by all means come and enjoy the awkwardness that is sure to commence. On the up side, you will get to eat some of my terrible cooking. There's always that to look forward to." The corner of his lip rises in what could be taken as a smile, but looks more like a grimace, before he walks back up to his temporary room. "I'll be ready to go in an hour, you can drive!"

…

"So that went better than I thought it would." I say as I get in the passenger seat of the Camaro. Derek's only response is an eyebrow movement. "Well it did. There was only minimal yelling, and dad got her calmed down pretty fast. Although honestly, I didn't know what to expect. But at least now she can tell Coach that Scott can't play in the game on Saturday so we don't have to worry about him trying to go against our advice and playing anyway. She won't let him put himself or others in danger. He'll probably be broody for the next few days, but I know he'll get over it."

He grunts in acknowledgement, "As far as the Allison situation goes though-" I am interrupted by a low growl. "Hey, I told you that he probably wouldn't listen to me on that front. I don't want him going after her either, but Scott doesn't have a penchant for listening. He wouldn't even listen to his mom about this one. I think it's bad enough that she knows there are Hunters, forget the fact that her son is trying to date one."

Derek doesn't say anything for a while, in fact he doesn't say anything until we get home. "Tomorrow I am holding a small service for Laura at the cemetery."

I am a bit taken aback by that. It's not exactly keeping quiet that he's in town, but I guess that his presence would take some heat off of Scott. But why would he do that for someone he just met? "Would you mind if I came? I mean if you don't want me there, it's cool, I'd understand." I don't think that he should have to do something like that alone, but I really didn't want to be around a lot of people when mom died, so I get the whole loner thing.

"If you aren't doing anything else." It is clipped, but there is a layer of vulnerability under it that doesn't go unnoticed by me.

"Then I'll be there." He nods and move into the house before I can say anything else. Derek isn't used to expressing his emotions and I think I am taking him out of his comfort zone talking as candidly as I do, but I think it's good for him. Sometimes it takes someone else giving you a kick in the right direction to let the healing process start. I don't know why he does, but I get the feeling that Derek blames himself for the death of his family. Maybe someday he will be able to move past that, but for now, I am going to make sure that he feels welcome and safe. Or at least as safe as a hundred and forty-seven pound Kitsune can.

…

The next day I leave Scott in the hallway to make it to my jeep as fast as I can. Derek held off the small funeral until I got out of school so I could be there. Dad couldn't make it since he had work, and Scott said he had to 'study'. I know he is lying though. It wasn't too hard to overhear the conversation he had with Allison, Lydia, and Jackson at lunch. They are going on a group date even though Derek and I have both warned him against it. I think he found an anchor in his mom though, so maybe it won't go as badly as I think it will.

It starts to rain just as I pull up to the cemetery, because nothing in Derek's life can go right for once. I don't have an umbrella, so I guess getting drenched is the only option.

The Beacon Hills Cemetery isn't that big; I am able to stop by mom's grave before making my way back to the Hale lots. Their plots are on the edge of the woods, fitting for a pack of wolves. When I get there, Derek is standing under an umbrella. At least one of us thought ahead. He is staring at the filled plot of earth that now holds his older sister. "Hey."

He doesn't look up as I approach or even after I am standing next to him. I wish I knew her to say something about her, but really, I didn't know anything about the Hale's other than that they were werewolves, and to keep my distance from them. "You know, she was a bit like you."

I am shocked at first to hear his voice, then again that he would say anything about her. "How so?"

"She would talk on and on. She called me out on my shit. Never let me get too low. Wel,l not that she could tell anyway." My hand finds its way to his shoulder in silent support. "If she knew I was trying to live in our old house, she would have beaten the crap out of me." He gives a hollow laugh, but follows with a small, genuine smile.

"Sounds like she and I would have gotten along."

"The two of you would have been a nightmare."

-"You mean I'm not already?" His smirk stays planted on his face and then falls into a scowl like he shouldn't be smiling. "You know, she doesn't sound like the kind of person who would want you to be miserable. If it were me, I'd want you to try and find some small kind of happiness. I know it's easier said than done, but I'm sure she doesn't want you to wallow in misery and hate for the rest of your life."

Maybe I'm overstepping my bounds here, but I can't let this guy get so down on himself. "You're right. It's just going to take some time." He says is so quietly, I am again unsure if I was meant to have heard it. So I just squeeze his shoulder again and wordlessly let him know that I am here.

I'm not sure how long we stand there, but the rain stops eventually, and the sun starts to go down. As we make our way back to the parking lot I hear labored breathing of stifled tears coming from one of the new holes in the ground. Derek hears it too and looks over to see Isaac Lahey sitting in the crane they use to dig up the graves.

"Who's that?" Derek is looking at him with curiosity and I see his nose flare in a telltale sign of taking in scent.

"That's Isaac Lahey. He's in my grade and on the lacrosse team with me and Scott."

"Why does he smell like he's bruised?"

"You can smell that?"

"Yeah, the blood is closer to the skin than it should be."

"Oh, well, I mean, I don't know for sure, but I think his dad beats him. I've tried to help my dad get some evidence so that Isaac can get out of there, but Isaac always claims that it was something else, a door, lacrosse, got into a fight. He doesn't talk much at school, and I am kind of pissed that none of the teachers notice. I mean it is there job, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." He seems just as angry as I am about Isaac's situation.

"I keep my eyes and ears out for him, but there is only so much I can do. He has to want out himself before I can do anything more." We don't say anything more as we walk the rest of the way back, but I can tell that this will sit with Derek for a while to come. Maybe I can get Isaac to start sitting with me at lunch. If Scott is gonna hang with Argent and the popular crowd then I need to find some more friends.

…

After the game on Saturday, Scott starts getting shunned a bit from the rest of the team. Mostly because even though Jackson was hopped up on pain killers, he still played, and is now on the bench for the next week while he recovers, while Scott didn't play at all in perfect health. Lydia has been giving him the cold shoulder as well, and has been trying to convince Allison to do the same. I kinda wish that she would do as her bitch of a best friend advises, but sadly she doesn't. So while Scott goes off to sit with Allison at lunch I am left to find someone else to talk to. I really just want to stay as far away from the Argents as possible.

Since the conversation with Derek in the cemetery, I have been keeping a closer eye out on Isaac, but he never sits in the lunch room to eat. I'm not really sure where he goes off to every day, so I will have to figure it out.

I am actually on my way to do so when I notice that Erica Reyes is sitting by herself, tucked away in a corner of the lunch room. She has been in and out of school for the last few months due to some medical problems. Namely the seizures she goes through because of her epilepsy. Like Isaac and myself, most of the kids stay away from her, and only give her the time of day when she is mid seizure. I think the only reason I haven't tried to befriend her before now, is because I have been trying so hard to hide what I am that I didn't want to be friends with anyone that was in the spotlight, good or bad. It was selfish of me, and narrow minded to not be open to new people, but I was scared, and you don't think rationally when you're terrified for your life. Time to change all of that.

"Hey Catwoman, mind if I sit with you?" I at least give her the allusion that it is her choice.

She looks up at me with an almost incredulous face. "If I'm Catwoman, does that make you Batman?" A girl who knows her comics. Nice.

"I don't know, I think I'm more of a Beast Boy, but if you wanna call me Batman, who am I to stop you." I place my tray on the table and slip into the seat more gracefully than I normally would have. She raises an eyebrow at me, but after Derek's constant communication with said movement, I just roll my eyes in response and start eating.

"Uh, not to be rude, even though I could care less, but, why are you sitting with me?" She looks around to see all of the other open tables and then back at me. "We haven't talked since like, sixth grade." She says this with an almost bitterness that makes me wince. That was the year mom died, and also about the time I stopped talking to anyone platonically except Scott.

But I can't let it get to me. Not here, not now. "Well, I saw that you were sitting alone, and I was about to sit alone, so I thought, why not sit alone together."

She lets out a snort that most girls would have been afraid to have come out of them. I like this girl already, why weren't we friends? "What happened to your shadow, McCall?"

"Well, he decided to go and attach himself to the new girl, and I am not all about being a third wheel."

"That's a lie." She takes a bite of her apple from her sack lunch.

"Not really." It is mostly a lie, but not entirely.

"You don't like her, do you?"

"What?"

She sighs like this is taking up her valuable time. "Look, I am alone, like, all the time. I notice things that others might not. Like how Lydia is smarter than she lets on to everyone, or how Scott somehow got so much better at lacrosse over winter break, or how you pretend to be clumsier than you actually are. There is definitely something more to you, Stilinski, I'm just not sure what it is. But I do know one thing for certain, you don't like Allison and I doubt it's because she is taking up more of Scott's time now."

"Wow. I'm not even gonna deny anything you said. Kudos to you for seeing that."

"But the real question is, why don't you like her if it isn't because she is interrupting 'bro' time?"

The smirk on her face has me almost wanting me to tell her, but then I catch myself and smile back at her. "I have to keep some things a mystery, otherwise you'll lose interest in me and not want to be my friend anymore."

"Anymore?"

"Yes, anymore, cause we are totally friends now." She laughs, and it is almost one of the best sounds I have heard in a while. I know that she has been dealt a hard hand from life, and maybe I can help to make it a little better.

"Whatever you say Stilinski."

"Please, only Jackson and Harris call me that, you call me Stiles." We go on to talk about comics and a few other things before the bell rings, just enough to help distract me from thoughts of Scott, but not enough to block out hearing that they are planning a date tonight. If Scott won't listen to me, then maybe he has to learn the hard way. I just hope that I am there to help save his werewolf ass before it gets shot.

…

There is a part of me that wants to quit the lacrosse team. I mean, the only reason I really joined was because Scott wanted to. I like playing when I get the chance, but I can't let my guard slip while in the middle of the game. I mean yeah, I could make it look like I am getting progressively better, and eventually make first line, become the hero jock, and gain all the fame and glory that comes with it. I could do that. But the sport is a bit too violent for me. I am much more of a pacifist, at least when it comes to starting fights. Don't get me wrong though, I will fight if I have to, I just don't like to. And with all the tackles, and sticks hitting random body parts, and balls flying everywhere, well, it's just not for me.

The only problem is, if I quit, then there will be no one here for Scott. He isn't off the team, and even though Finstock took him off first line, it won't keep him out of games. Coach knows how good Scott is, and he won't not play him. If Scott starts to lose control again, I need to be there to pull him away and help calm him down.

Just like now, "Stiles, have you ever had a dream that felt like it was real?"

"Yeah, but it's just a dream…right?"

"That's the thing, I don't know. I mean, I woke up in my bed, but it felt so real. Scary real."

"Well, it could just be a dream. But then again, you are supernatural now, and with that comes a lot of strange things." Scott groans and I clap a hand on his shoulder. "Welcome to my world buddy."

We walk through the school doors and that is when I hear chatter coming in from the other side of the school. Something about a bus and blood and claw marks. Damnit! I pull Scott along with me so we can see what is going on.

When we get there, one of the school's busses is being taped off for official investigation. I get a text and when I pull out my phone I see a message from dad. 'something happened at the school, you and Scott okay?' Scott's heart rate is through the roof and I have to pull him off to the side of the building so he can calm down.

"It was real! Stiles, I think I did that."

Shit. 'Can you maybe get Scott out of school today, I think he and Derek need a training session ASAP.' I send it off to dad, and then another to Derek. 'So, something happened at the school last night, and Scott needs some wolfy training, you up for the job?'

I get a response from dad first. 'Done. Melissa will be there in a few to pull him out for the day. Be careful.' Then one from Derek. 'yes, where?'

I text a thanks back to dad, and then another message to Derek. 'his mom is gonna pull him out of school for the day, so his house should be the best spot. Thanks dude!'

I don't get a response after that, but at least I know that Derek is helping. I wish there was more I could do to help Scott, but I know virtually nothing about werewolves. At least nothing that will help in this situation.

Later in Chemistry there is some noise coming from outside, a man is being pulled out of the nearby tree line on a stretcher. He is alive, but badly injured. I quick send a text to Derek letting him know the new development and to keep him appraised of the situation. I don't think Scott hurt him, but we can't know for sure yet. Derek will help him, he hast to.

…

By the time lunch comes around, the whole school is buzzing about the new turn of events. First Laura was found in the woods and now this guy. Dad said that he was taken to the hospital for an animal attack, but I don't think that it was just any animal. And why this guy? I mean, if the Alpha was trying to create a pack, why try to turn a guy who has got to at least be in his forties? Why not someone younger? I tell dad as much, and he says that he is going to look into it. This can't be a coincidence.

I get my food and start to head for our regular table with Erica, when I see Isaac sitting at the end of the lacrosse team's table. He isn't engaging anyone in conversation, and looks like he really doesn't want to be there. So without looking at Erica, I move to sit next to him, leaving plenty of room for him to leave if he wants to. Erica follows and sits down without batting an eyelash, but looks a bit uncomfortable doing so. This isn't where she would normally put herself. Over the last week we have become pretty good friends, she has a sharp tongue that goes to waste not being heard by the rest of the student populace.

"'Sup, Isaac?" He flinches minutely at being addressed, and it only makes my blood boil. No one should have to suffer through what he has.

"Uh, not much?" The way it comes out as a question saddens me.

"Mind if we sit here?" Erica looks like she can't believe what I'm doing, but seeing as I did the same thing with her, and it worked, well, why not use it again?

"No?" He looks like he is about to bolt. I have to keep him calm so he won't.

"Good." Then I turn to Erica and start talking to her like I normally do. I try really hard not to look at Isaac, and Erica notices something's up because she keeps sending me weird looks. Finally she has enough.

"Sorry to bother you Isaac. I know you usually sit outside for lunch. Must not be able to because of the attack. I don't know what Beast Boy here was thinking, but we don't bite. Not unless you're into that kind of thing." The juice I was drinking almost comes out of my nose when she says the last bit. It is one of the reasons I love this girl. Blunt, but playful at the same time. A sarcasm to match my own. If only I liked girls.

Now I can't help but to look at him though, and when I do I see a blush and the start of a smile. Gotta keep this up. "Well, she may bite, but I am much more of a cuddler. Not that I would cuddle someone against their will, I am not a cuddle raper. So if you want cuddles, then I'm all for it, if not, that's cool too."

Erica rolls her eyes but is smiling, while Isaac's blush gets deeper, but he is sitting up a bit more in his seat. Slowly he starts getting dragged into our conversations about movies, comics, and music. The first time he smiles, I am mad that he doesn't do it more often. He is like a little cherub, or rather a tall one. And that brownish blonde curly hair is adorable. I feel like he is the kid brother I never had.

When the bell rings we make plans to eat together tomorrow at our regular table and invite Isaac to join us. He seems a bit reluctant at first, but as we leave I can tell that his heart is calm and he is less twitchy than normal. I have a moment before class starts where I am angry at myself for not trying to do this sooner. Isaac and Erica both needed someone, and I was more than able to be that person. How did I let myself get so self-centered? Mom wouldn't be proud of the way I've acted. But that is the past, and now I can try to make up for my past mistakes.

…

After school I go straight over to Scott's house and find him and Derek out in the back yard doing some exercises. They both look like they could do with a shower, and I'm just glad that my nose isn't that sensitive. "So how goes all things wolfy?"

They both look over to me as I toss them both a bottle of water I swiped from the fridge inside. "Better. I think I am finally getting the hang of this a little bit. I don't know if I've said it yet or not, but thanks Derek. I really appreciate all the help you've been giving me."

Derek looks shocked for all of two seconds before schooling his face and nodding back to Scott in acknowledgement. "You still need to work on it, but you are doing better."

Clapping my hands together I bring their attention back to me. "Great! Now, do we have a way to know for sure that it wasn't Scott who attacked that guy? Dad text me and said that he is in intensive care, and they are unsure if he will make it or not."

"There is a way." Derek starts but then gets contemplative. Scott is about to ask when I hold up my hand to stop him. Derek will get there in his own time. I mean the sooner the better, but if it is wolfy training he got from his family then the memories are sure to be coming back when he is trying to pass on the knowledge to Scott. "We have to go back to the bus. Once we're there, you will have to open your senses and let yourself relax. I should be able to talk you through it."

"Good. We will have to wait for dark though, it is still a crime scene and school security is mediocre at best before nine, almost nonexistent after."

Derek turns back to me. "You're coming?"

"Uh, yeah. He is my best friend, you are a new friend, and what happens if you run into the Alpha? You might need my fire power, literally." I light up three balls of fox fire to dance around my hand for show. Derek flinches so minutely that if I wasn't looking at him, I might have missed it. I let it out and then think that he probably isn't too fond of fire, seeing as it did kill most of his family. He just nods again in silence and moves into the house leaving Scott and me alone. "Shit."

"What?"

"Nothing, just should have known better." Scott looks at me with those puppy dog eyes that say he doesn't really get it, but he's sorry for me anyway. It's that look that makes me want to ruffle his shaggy hair. "Come on, you stink and we should get some food before we go all double-oh-seven tonight."

"Yeah, and I have to call Deaton to let him know that I won't be into work tonight." It's at the mention of the vet's name that I remember who he is. He was the one who set up the basement to be a safe room for me. He used to work with the Hales before they died. I think mom referred to him as a Druid. I'll have to ask Derek about it later.

We go in the house and make some quick sandwiches to eat before Derek and I head back to the house so he can shower and I can change into better sleuthing clothes than red flannel. When it's time to leave, we just get in Derek's car to pick up Scott so we can get this done.

The drive to the school is quiet. Scott's heartbeat is up and I can tell that he is nervous to get the answers he is looking for. Did he hurt the bus driver or was it just the Alpha. They head to the bus talking about what Scott needs to do to open up and let his senses tell him what happened. I stayed back to keep an eye and ear out for anything. There is one security officer on duty because of the crime that happened, and the Alpha is still on the loose.

I try not to listen in to what they are saying, mostly because I am not a wolf and it's not really something I can relate to. Also because I know Derek doesn't want all the attention on him. He really is quite shy beneath the gruff exterior he tends to put off.

But when they come back Scott is a flurry of emotions. "I didn't do it! I didn't hurt him, I was actually trying to help him!" He half jumps into the air grabbing me up in a hug that holds a little extra humph.

"That's great Scott, now put me down." He does gleefully, but Derek is much more somber. "Okay, if you didn't do it out of bloodlust, then why did the Alpha? Was it some form of initiation? Was he trying to turn someone else and it went horribly wrong?" Derek doesn't respond, but I can tell that he doesn't know the answers. This whole mess is just causing more problems and raising more questions.

…

We drop Scott off and then head to the gas station on our way home. Derek needs a fill up and I want some snacks. So as he is pumping I go inside. It is only just as I cross the threshold of the door that I hear two other vehicles pull up as well. When I turn, neither one of them are there to get gas. Which can only mean one thing. Hunters.

Derek is calm enough to keep going as if nothing is out of the ordinary, but I can tell that his heart rate spikes pretty quickly in the anticipation of what is to come. There are cameras here, so he can't really wolf out and attack, but that won't stop the Hunters from harassing him. "Nice ride." That is the voice of Chris Argent. I only know it's him, because he has been picking up his daughter from school all week. If he's here, this definitely won't be good. "Black cars, though. Very hard to keep clean. I would definitely suggest a little more maintenance. If you have something this nice, you want to take care of it, right? Personally, I'm very protective of the things I love. But that's something I've learned from my family. And you don't have much of that these days. Do you?"

At that statement I almost rush out of there to confront the Argent asshole. Who the hell does he think he is? I mean really. But then I hear Derek whisper, "Don't." I look at him through the window, but he is still staring at Chris not wavering in his glare.

He puts down the window squeegee that he was using on Derek's car. "You can actually look through your windshield now. You see how that makes everything so much clearer?" And the threat is so thinly veiled that I am infuriated even more than I was before. Forgetting anything to eat I move back to the door and open it quietly to stand just outside to see what happens next.

"You forgot to check the oil." And this is the reason I want to keep Derek as a friend. When he does talk, it is all sass. Like sass to the max. I love it.

Chris turns around to the Hunters that are on the other side of the Camaro. "Check the man's oil." He walks forward with his gun, and wait, what! He has a freaking gun out in public! And then proceeds to smash the driver's side window with the butt of the gun. That is the last straw.

"What the Hell. What in the literal Hell do you think you are doing?" Chris looks a bit taken aback, and Derek looks like he wants to stand in front of me to guard me from these Neanderthals. "You do realize that Derek is a guest to the Sherriff, the Sherriff who happens to be my father. You just vandalized his car. That's a felony."

"Stiles, stay out of this." Derek hisses trying to get me to back off.

"No. I am so sick of Hunters who think they can walk all over the place doing what they want, without consequences."

"Hunters?" That is Argent's only response.

"Yeah, I know what you are."

He points at Derek. "Do you know what he is?"

"Yes, and if you're not careful, you'll find out what I am. Now are you going to pay for the damages, or will we be seeing you in court? Cause I have a feeling that this isn't the first time something like this happened. I am pretty good at research, and I could probably find a whole slew of misdemeanors and felonies to have you guys locked up in legal battles for the next few years." I am sure that my eyes are flashing green now, but the anger overtook me a bit. I haven't lost control in a very long time, but these assholes are bringing it out of me.

Chris steps back to his car and pulls out a checkbook then precedes to write a check and hands it to Derek when he's done. I look at the numbers and see a five and two zeroes. Probably more than what is required, but this way we won't have to go after them. "Good. Now, if you cause any problems for me or Derek here, you won't be let off as easily next time. Drive safe." My eyes narrow and all three of them get back in their cars and leave. After I can't hear the engines anymore, my legs go weak and I would fall to the ground if Derek wasn't there to catch me like a freaking damsel.

"That was incredibly stupid! Why the hell would you reveal yourself like that?"

"He was just- and I couldn't- I didn't think-"

"No, you didn't!" He helps me down to the ground and lets me rest there for a few minutes before continuing. "Stiles, now they are going to be watching you too."

"I know. But, I couldn't let them do that to you. No one deserves to be treated like that." Neither of us says anything more. What more is there to say?

After I get the feeling back in my legs I stand up and Derek cleans his car of the glass he can get for now. He will have to use the shop vac I have back at the house to finish up, and then get his window replaced. At least now we know the Hunters know about Derek, and thanks to my recklessness, they now know about me too. I don't think they know what I am, but they know I'm not human. Just one more thing to put on the pile of shit we are already dealing with.

* * *

So when I started to write this, I really didn't know how somethings were going to go. I knew that Stiles would befriend the Betas before they met Derek, and I knew that Stiles would be somewhat protective over Derek, but I didn't think he would do it the way he did. I love it when the characters tell me what they are going to to and refuse to change their mind on it.

Side note: I am going to try and not bash Scott in this fic. If you have read my previous ones I did quite a bit of that. He is still somewhat stupid in his decision making, but in the end he will have the heart of gold that the show wants him to have, that I think he is lacking. I don't want to start a war here, I just don't agree with the way the show portrays him. So this is my slowly trying to fix that.

As always thanks for you're support and please let me know what you think! Love to hear feedback from you guys, good or bad!


	3. Of Argents, Alphas, and so Many Problems

It's a few weeks later that Derek and I are out scouting for traces of the Alpha. He hasn't shown any recent activity and it is setting us both on edge. Scott is still somewhat oblivious to everything, mostly because he is still so wrapped up in Allison when he isn't training, doing homework, or working. But now he is at home asleep. It's late, and if dad wasn't working I wouldn't be out here. But when Derek said he was going, I couldn't let him go by himself.

After about an hour of running around town he catches the scent. It leads through the industrial part of Beacon Hills, the mostly abandoned part. I don't really know why or how this town has so much abandoned property, but it works for us right now, so I won't complain. Then I hear some gunshots. Too far away for Derek to hear, but they are there none the less. "Derek, hold up!" I hiss out.

"What is it?" He stops and turns back to me. I'm not sure he trusts me one hundred percent yet, but he is getting there.

"I heard some gunshots. That means Hunters are out. We need to leave."

"You can go, but I'm not losing this trail." He turns to leave and I grab his arm attempting to stop him.

He stills under my touch and goes rigid. The fact that he let my hand stop him when he is much stronger than me goes to show that he is trusting me more and more every day. "Dude, if you continue, you might get shot. If it is Hunters out there, then you would probably die. Now, I'm not willing to take that risk. The Alpha isn't going anywhere, we can continue the hunt another night when not everything in town is out to get us." He glares at me for a few moments then sags in defeat. I let out a sigh of relief and we head back home keeping to the shadows and staying out of sight.

…

The next day while I am sitting at lunch with Erica and Isaac I hear Allison tell Scott about how her Aunt Kate is in town. All I can think is great, more Argents. In everything that I have heard from Allison, she seems like a nice person, but without knowing if she is a Hunter or not makes it impossible for me to trust her with anything.

I turn my focus back to my new friends and see that Erica is talking to us but not looking at us while she chatters on. She is staring off to the side. So I turn and see who or what she is looking at. Sitting at the end of a table with some others is Vernon Boyd. He's a loner, quiet, big, smart if I remember right. Spinning back to face Erica, who has a small blush on her face, I can't help but grin and sing-song. "Someone has a crush."

"Shut it Beast Boy." I kinda love the nickname thing we have going on.

"Why should I, Catwoman? You obviously like him, why don't you go invite him over to sit with us?"

"Who would want to sit with the social rejects?"

I fake being affronted by the remark then smile. "Maybe he feels like a social reject, maybe he is just waiting to be invited to hang out. Did you ever think of that?" The look on her face tells me that she has, but she is still unwilling to do anything. I look to Isaac for some support, but he just has a small smile on his face at our exchange. I roll my eyes, "Girls, this is why I don't get dates."

Not leaving too much room for her to say something, I get up and walk over to the table where the darker boy is sitting. I hear Erica half yell, half whisper my name trying to get me to stop, but I am a bit too fast for that.

Once I get to him, I place my hands on the table across from him and lean down so I am closer to eye level with him. "Hey, Vernon, can I call you Vernon, how's it going?"

He looks up at me with the same blank look that he gives everyone. My first thought is how good of friends he and Derek would be. Derek talks more now than he did when we first met, but he still likes to pull out his signature glare all the time. "That's good. Glad to hear it. I was just wondering if you might like to come and join me with the other misfit toys. You don't have to, but over on that island, it's always Christmas and we don't have to worry about Santa coming around to deliver us to all the good boys and girls who will hate us anyway."

That got two raised eyebrows, and a look over to Erica and Isaac. I turn just in time to see Isaac give a small wave and Erica thump her head on the table into her folded arms, but then looks up hopefully. "Okay." At first I thought I was hearing things, but then he is gathering his stuff to follow me back. "But call me Boyd."

"Sounds good." We walk back across the lunch room and sit down, me next to Isaac and Boyd next to Erica. "Well, I'm Stiles, this is Isaac, and that lovely blonde bombshell is Erica." She glares at me for a minute, but then turns to Boyd and says hi. Isaac nudges me under the table, and I can't help but to laugh a little. Seems like our group is expanding and doing just fine. Our conversation returns to normal afterwards with Boyd only giving his input when directly asked, but that's okay. He will open up in time, the others did.

…

When I get home Derek is sitting in the living room reading a book from my bookshelf. One of the older tomes Mom left me. I hate to break the calm quiet but he can tell that I am somewhat agitated when I walk in the door.

"What's wrong?" He places a finger in the book and closes it giving me his full attention.

I sigh, "Nothing too major, just another Argent came to town. Allison was talking about her aunt that just got in last night. I wouldn't be surprised if that is the one I heard firing off their gun in the middle of nowhere."

Derek stiffens as if he is anticipating the worst. "What's her name?"

"Uh, I think she said it was Kate?" He lets out a growl lower than all the others I have heard from him. That instantly lets me connect the dots. I continue in a much lower voice. "She's the one who did it, isn't she?"

His continuing growl is all the answer I need. Great. The pyromaniac murderer is back in town. Probably to help with the Alpha situation. I am about to tell him to cool it when an engine turning off in front of the house has me stopping and turning away from him. It isn't a vehicle I recognize. Someone gets out; their heart beat is ticked up a bit higher than normal, more in excitement rather than nervousness. Then there is a knock on the door and Derek's growl that had cut out, is now back full force. He tries to stop me from answering but I am a bit too fast for him and I am able to open the door before he can reach me. Only I wish he had been able to stop me, because standing on the other side is a blonde that smells like gun oil and wolfsbane, this must be Kate.

"Well, you must be Stiles. Wonderful to meet you." She looks over my shoulder, "And Derek, my, my. You have grown up in all the right places." There is a lilt to her voice that tells me something happened between the two of them and it was more than words exchanged. "I don't know whether I want to kill it or lick it." That has my eyes burning and a jolt of electricity running through my fingertips. So not only is she a bitch Hunter who burned down Derek's house with his family inside, but probably had a thing with him while he was underage. Considering that she looks to be in her mid-thirties, that means it was statutory rape. I don't turn back to Derek, but I do move to block him from her view closing the door slightly with me.

"What can I help you with?"

"Oh, I just thought that I should come by and see how poor Derek is doing. I heard about what happened to his sister, and thought I should pay my respects."

"There's no need to lie. I can hear your heartbeat so you may want to change your story, or you can just get the hell off my dad's property. I'm sure he wouldn't take kindly to having his son, or his guest harassed and threatened. He is the Sheriff after all in case you forgot."

She laughs, "Oh, no, I haven't forgotten. It's actually why I'm here." She moves almost too quickly for me to catch the baton she was holding behind her. The electricity sparks and crackles as it races up my arm. Derek is behind me retching open the door, but the look of shock on her face is priceless. The thing about electricity is that I am able to absorb it thanks to my fox fire.

"Derek, back up." He does reluctantly and I rip the baton out of her hand, and then look back at her with my eyes glowing green. "See, while that little trick might work with a werewolf, I'm not one. I'm something _far_ more dangerous. Now, why don't you go on back to the rest of you little Hunter family and tell them to back, the fuck, off. I am not messing around anymore. The next time any of you approach me I will take it as a declaration of war. If you think that I'm trouble, you have yet to encounter my father. While he may be human, he is in charge of the local law enforcement and he can have you strung up on charges for assault and a thousand other things so that you won't be seeing the light of day for a very long time. Are we clear?"

She does back up as I am speaking, but it's with a smile. "This game just a whole lot more interesting."

"See, that's where we have a slight difference of opinion. My life and the life of my friend here, not a game."

"Maybe not to you sweetie, but it is one hell of a pass time for me." She turns and walks away from the house back to the car. Once she is down the street I close the door and sag against it.

"One more time, I swear, one more time they try to harass either of us, and I am telling my dad what's going on."

"Stiles, you keep provoking them and they will come after you!" Derek yells in my face. "How stupid can you get!"

"I'm sorry, I was only just stopping her from killing the both of us. And maybe I'm sick of hiding. I did it for so long, I've missed out on things and friendships that I should have had all along. These Hunters need to learn that they aren't the only ones willing to fight around here."

"That line of thinking is going to get you killed."

"Yeah, well at least I went down swinging then. Tell me, what you would have done differently." He stays silent, glaring at me. "Exactly. Now, maybe we should move onto more important matters. Like telling my dad the arsonist/murderer that killed your family is back in town."

He stops glaring at me after that and pulls back into himself. "No."

"No? What do you mean no?"

"I said no."

"Derek-"

"No, Stiles."

"You know what, I think I've about had it with this whole martyr complex you have going on. You are not the one to blame. I don't care what she said or did to you, but the only person to blame for anything is her. You were only sixteen when all that shit went down, she used you. It's not your fault. So you better get over this whole thing fast, because I am having none of it."

He gets up in my personal space and is inches away from me now. "You. Don't. Know. Anything."

"No, I don't know for sure, but from the way she acted, I can guess. I'm betting she was in her twenties and showed you some special treatment, seduced you, and then used what she knew about your family against you. She is the one that killed them, not you. Am I wrong?" He doesn't say anything and backs off again. "Thought so. Now, I won't say anything, as long as my Dad doesn't ask. But you should tell him. He is working to reopen the case and is re-examining the evidence. Anything you know could help him." Almost immediately I am sorry for talking the way I did. It was brash if not honest to the way I felt, but there were probably a thousand other ways I could have handled the situation better.

"Look, I'm sorry, I'm just getting sick of trying to balance everything the way I am. I hate lying to my dad, by omission or otherwise. This is something that could get settled by the law. She would go to jail and there is nothing that her, or her crazy family could do to stop it. If they came after you, then the law would protect you. Sometimes you have to let others handle the bullshit. That might be a hard concept for you, but you have to learn to do it. You aren't alone anymore. I know Scott, Dad, and I aren't the most convenient or practical pack, but we could be yours, if you let us." There is a pained yet hopeful look in his eyes so I drop the conversation to let all of it sink in for him. I don't know what he is going to do, but I hope that he will at least consider it.

…

There are three more deaths that happen before the next full moon. One is to a video store clerk and a previously convicted for arson. Derek took Scott to scope that one out while I was with my father on the ground. Jackson and Lydia both are a bit rattled by the whole thing seeing as they were at the store when it all happened. Lydia seems to be in a state of shock, probably unable to process what she saw, while Jackson reverts to his douchey self. I don't think he saw anything, and Scott confirms it later when he overhears Danny talking to him on the field during practice one day. I've taught Scott about how to listen for the tick or upbeat that the heart gives off while lying. Something that will probably come back to bite me in the ass later on.

The other two deaths are of known arsonists and have a list of priors on their records, basically skum. Coincidently they were burnt husks when their bodies are found. At first, the string of somewhat random deaths seems to be just that, random. But now, with the death of the arsonists, it is raising some questions and not only with myself. Dad kept looking into the others who were killed. The bus driver was apparently a former insurance investigator for the Hale fire. The two that were burned and the video store clerk all had misdemeanors and other problems with the law, so it wouldn't be a far reach to say that whoever is killing these people is really trying to extract some sort of revenge. But that doesn't make sense either.

"I mean, you aren't the one killing people. We know that. So who the hell could be doing it?"

"I don't know." Derek's eyebrows are drawn in together in frustration. We have been going over possible suspects for the last few days and have so far come up with nothing. Well, I have had one idea, but it would be a far stretch, and I don't really want to tell Derek what it is. He only has the one remaining family member as it is. "Laura had a list of names before she left. She didn't tell me what it was for, but I found it yesterday after I was going through some of the things she left here. On it were the names of the people that have been killed. The only one that hasn't been yet is Adrian Harris."

"Harris! As in my Chemistry teacher?"

"What?"

"He teaches Chemistry at the high school. Do you think he will have any answers?"

"Maybe, but how do we ask him?"

"We have to give that list to my dad. He will know how to follow the proper channels, and will be able to question him legally. I know you want to get the answers yourself but this is probably our best bet right now."

He ushers out a low growl for a moment before jerking his head in a nod.

We wait until dad gets home and then present him with said list. He takes it and says that he will look into it tomorrow. Then after dinner, Derek decides that he is going to go and see if he can pick up any new traces of the Alpha. Dad is already in bed, so I sneak out my window and meet him at his car. "Stiles, go back in the house."

"I think we already had this conversation. If you are going out, I am going out. You know you aren't strong enough to take on the Alpha by yourself, so I am going as your back up."

"Your father-"

"-won't know that I left unless you tell him. But then you would have to explain what you are doing, and while he may be able to ground me, he will give you the disappointed father stare. And trust me, that is not something you really want to be on the receiving end of. So, I'm going." I don't give him any more room to argue as I slip into the passenger seat. He grumbles as he gets in, but doesn't say anything more on the matter.

We drive around for a few hours before we get a text from Scott. The Alpha made contact with him. What! We drive over to his house and he is waiting on the front steps looking kind of freaked. "Dude, what happened?"

"I was getting in the car and I thought I heard something, I thought it was you, Derek." Derek has been springing surprise training sessions on Scott to see how he would react. It's kind of mean, but also kind of helpful. "But then I got his scent, and I booked it for the car. I only just managed to get in, but he knew I was there. He drew a spiral in the condensation on the window and then left."

"Did you get anything off of him? An Impression?"

"What do you mean?" Scott doesn't get what Derek is trying to ask, and I guess that's fair. He hasn't had to use his senses like this before. I want to step in, but at the same time, they need to be able to bond and get closer with each other. They are kind of a pack now. So I don't say anything, and let Derek continue.

He gets a bit frustrated, but he doesn't let it show as much as he might have a month ago. "Remember you other senses are heightened. Communication doesn't have to be spoken. What kind of feeling did you get off of him?"

Scot thinks a moment before responding. "Anger."

"Focused on you?"

He thinks on it some more, "No, not… Not me. But it was definitely anger. I could feel it. Especially when he drew the spiral. What does it mean?"

Derek looks like he is about to give a false answer or just brush it off, but he has to learn that he can't do that anymore. "Derek, what does it mean?" Maybe if I am the one to push him he will tell a bit more. Not that he trusts me any more than he does Scott.

He hesitates a few more minutes but finally gives in. "It's our sign for vendetta, for revenge. If he's leaving this symbol around, then that means he won't stop killing until he's satisfied that the debt has been settled."

"Well, that's not completely new news, is it? I mean we thought that that this is what it might mean, right?" We had only been talking about this earlier. "But the big question here is, who is doing this? Who wants revenge and what for? I mean all signs point to the fire, but who would want to get revenge for that?" Derek looks dumbfounded, which on him looks kinda, cute? That's an odd thought. His eyebrows are scrunched together and his eyes are slits with this little frown on his face.

"I don't know." It's all Derek can say, and after he falls into a silence unlike any of the others I have seen from him. I tell Scott to try and get some sleep and that I will see him in School tomorrow. He then reminds me that we have a lacrosse practice after school for the semifinals game the day after. That is like the last thing I can think of, but Dad said he would be there. A bunch of us got put on first line because of a bought of pink eye that ran through the team. Scott is back on first line too, so I know this will be a major game for him and his mom. Derek game him the okay, but told him to cut back on some of the wolfiness. He didn't state it like that, but it's pretty much the same.

…

After practice dad sends me a text saying he has some new information. So I grab Scott and bring him with me. This is pack business, so he needs to be informed too. When we get there Dad and Derek are sitting at the kitchen table with coffee and a few files. It looks like Derek has given an official statement, and I have a silent moment of awe. He was finally brave enough to tell the officials what happened. That is a big step. I wonder what made him do it.

"So what is it you found?" Dad moves some papers around to try and hide a few things from view, but it's too late. I already saw some of it.

"I talked to Harris while you were at practice. It seems that Laura was talking to him about the fire. That he would have a lead."

"Did he?"

"Kind of, that's how this gets tricky. I know that we have you're statement, Derek, but the prosecution is going to want some hard evidence. The only thing Harris could tell me is that the woman who he talked to was blonde and that she had this pendant." He shows us a small scrap of paper that has a crudely drawn emblem of a wolf with a few other things, it looks like a family shield, like from back in the old days when family names actually held weight and substance because of property and wealth, not fame and fortune.

Scott sucks in a breath and shuts his eyes as if he is in pain. "Scotty? What is it? Do you recognize it?"

He nods his head. "On a necklace." He opens his eyes and looks at my dad. "Allison Argent's necklace. She said she got it for her birthday from her aunt, it's a family heirloom." We all tense at that. She got it from Kate.

Derek tenses and I stop listening dad and Scott talk as I hone in on Derek's heartbeat which has skyrocketed. I look at dad and then he nods and I make my way over to Derek to grab his arm. At first he flinches out of my hold, but the second time he is looking me in the eyes and I jerk my head to the back door. He seems to get what I'm trying to get him to do, and comes with me. I know that Scott and my dad keep talking, but all I can think about is getting Derek to a better place mentally.

As soon as we hit the tree line I poke his shoulder. "You're it." And I take off into the woods full tilt. It only takes him a few seconds to realize what he is meant to do, but with a light scoff he takes off after me.

I'm not sure how long we run, but the game of tag turns into just running in comfortable silence. Lacrosse practice allows me to stretch certain muscles, but running like this stretches whole different ones. By the time we decide to slow down it is almost dark outside and we are near the school. The silence continues, save for the slight panting of breath coming from both of us, but I feel that I have to say something. "I know you don't want to, and least of all to some spazzy kid like me, but if you ever need to talk, you know I would be more than willing to listen, right?"

"Are you sure you could even shut up long enough to let someone else speak?" With that I know he is better. But I need him to know I'm being serious here. I give him a smile, but don't mince any words.

"I mean it Derek. I know it's not easy, but you can trust me. Loyalty is something I learned from my father, and it's not something I take lightly. If you ever need to talk, or not talk, or run through the woods, I'm here."

He nods and then looks me over again with a gaze I can't quite make out what it means. "I didn't realize that you would be that fast."

"Well, I did have a few things working in my favor."

He raises and eyebrow in mock questioning. "Like?"

"Well, first off, Kitsune are faster than werewolves, mostly because our muscle structure is slimmer than yours. We tend to be wiry and slight. I'm actually a bit tall, but that is the human side kicking in I guess. Then there is my clan."

"You're a Forest Kitsune, aren't you?"

I am a bit taken aback by that. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Well, the fact that you didn't leave a trail for me to follow was the first tell the second was that you weren't making any noise as you ran through the underbrush. There were too many dead twigs and leaves for that to be a coincidence."

"Yeah, but how did you know about the different clans? Most people don't even know there are different types, let alone what a Kitsune is to begin with."

"I was raised to be Laura's second. The second is the one that is supposed to deal with pack relations and have a basic knowledge of most creatures." A faint blush appears on his cheeks, "Kitsune intrigued me because of what you can do. You are similar to a wolf, but different in other aspects."

"Dude, that's impressive!" I am also proud of the fact that he was able to mention Laura without getting down on himself. I don't know why I feel proud though, I really have no right to, but the feeling is there all the same.

He shrugs his shoulders but I can tell the small praise was accepted by him. Just as I think we are about to have a bro moment, his head turns and scents the wind. That action is enough for me to open up all of my senses and hear what he must smell. The Alpha. There is a stench of fear with it that is only getting stronger and we rush toward the school in hopes to help whoever is in trouble.

It's coming from Harris's room and Derek gets in there in just enough time to duck Harris down as a wooden shelving unit comes hurtling at them. I let loose a ball of electric fox fire and catch the Alpha in the chest. It isn't enough to make him stop, but is enough to send him running. Before Harris can look back up, I slip out of the room and quietly tell Derek that I am going to see if the Alpha really left and also get away so Harris doesn't recognize me.

I am only a few feet down the hallway before Derek is by my side. "If you're going, I'm going." Of course he would throw those words back in my face. I can't help the sigh and small laugh that comes out and Derek responds with a smirk of his own. He has humor, when he chooses to employ it. It doesn't happen often, but when he does, it is dry and snarky.

The trail leads to the woods his scent tapers off and another scent starts up. It's a perfume that I recognize and a stench of sanitizer that can only come from one place. "Derek, he's at the Hospital." He stops and gives me a questioning look. "Can you smell that perfume and the other scents with it?" He nods. "That's from the hospital. Ms. McCall smells like that sometimes when she takes a shift in the long term care ward. Derek, I think the Alpha might be your uncle."

…

Derek was quiet the entire way home. He didn't say anything or even look at me. It's like he had this thought too but was afraid to voice it out loud. Now that it has been, there's no taking it back. It is a very real possibility that it could he his Uncle, and if it is, that means he killed Laura. His own niece.

Knowing that this is going to be hard for Derek to wrap his head around I leave him alone as I get ready for school. Dad has the day off so I tell him to look out for Derek and to not let him leave alone. Knowing him, he would try to confront his uncle alone and that can only end badly.

School takes forever to move through. Once at lunch, my new friends pick up on my distracted mood. "Okay, what's going on that has you all funky?"

"Nothing. Just, not a great day."

"Beast Boy, you know that you can't really lie to me right? I mean, we can all tell that something serious is going on with you lately." She wavers for a moment and then adds quietly. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"No. I mean, thanks and all, but there really isn't." Then I start to think about the curfew that my dad was going to have implemented today. "Actually, there is something. The Sherriff's department is going to issue a curfew of nine thirty for anyone under eighteen, and I would really appreciate it if you guys would actually follow it." I look each one of them in the face to let them know how serious I am about this. They all look at me with wary eyes, but it fades to one of acceptance.

"Sure thing." Isaac's voice comes out a bit weak, but I know that he will do as I just asked.

"I don't know why, but if you insist. It's not like I have anything else to do anyway." That makes me feel a bit guilty too. In the month that we have been sitting with each other for lunch and some shared classes, we have never hung out together outside of school. Usually because I am too busy dealing with werewolfy business, but I really need to fix that.

"Sorry about that. Maybe after all the crazy is over I can have you guys over for a pizza and movie night. We can each choose our favorite and the others have to watch it no matter what. Deal?" Boyd nods and Erica brightens up a bit.

"I would have to ask my dad first, but it sounds like fun." He shrinks into himself a little and I slowly put my arm around his shoulder bringing him into a side hug.

"Well, seeing as you would be going to the Sherriff's house, I don't see how he could possibly say no. It's not like we will be up to anything illegal." We both laugh at that. Hopefully Isaac will be comfortable to get the help he needs soon. I really want him to get the support and caring family he needs.

It's not long after that, that the bell rings for next period and we all start making our way to our next class. Before I can get much further than the door an hand wraps around my upper arm and starts pulling me in the direction of the girls bathroom. "Erica, what are you doing?"

She doesn't say anything until we are in the bathroom with the door locked from the inside. "What is really going on Stiles? You seem majorly spooked." The fact that she has used my name rather than the nick names we usually refer to each other as says how much she is really worried. "Does this have to do with that weird glowing aura you sometimes have around you?"

And, wait, what! "Glow- what are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Sometimes I can see this faint dark green aura around you. It kinda looks lupine but the edges are too sharp."

And that is the Kitsune Aura, my Aura. "Erica, when do you see it?" I am always really careful to keep it hidden. I am sure that I have never once let it slip out at school.

"I don't know. I guess it's when I start to get the feeling of a seizure coming on. I get that nasty metallic taste in my mouth and my eyes can't help but to focus on you. Before we started hanging out they always just drifted to the left, but now even when you are on the right, they move towards you."

"You've been having seizures and not telling anyone?" The incredulous tone is not to deter from the subject, but out of worry for my friend.

"No, those are just usually the signs that one is coming, but I've been on this new medication that is helping to stop it. Now stop evading the question and tell me what is going on." Her gaze keeps mine and I am unable to look away.

"Erica, there are things that I really want to tell you about myself, but right now isn't a good time. I don't want you to get dragged into this shitstorm that I am currently wading through. But after things are taken care of, I promise I will tell you anything you want to know. Well anything that I am able to anyway. Which about me, means just about everything. I promise." I am not above groveling and pleading with her to agree with me. I can't let her get put in danger. Not while she is still oblivious to the supernatural, although, not quite as oblivious and I previously thought.

"You better. At first I thought I was going mad. But then it kept happening." Her tone lightens and she takes a step towards me. "I just want you to be safe, Stiles. You're my friend, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Ditto. That's why I can't tell you anything yet. But soon, I promise. I hope." She nods at me and then surprises me with a hug that crushes me a bit more than I was expecting.

"You better stay alive, Beast Boy. If you die, I will bring you back to life and kill you myself."

I hug her back tightly as well and rub my cheek against her temple. She won't know that I'm scenting her, but it is comforting non the less. "I will do my damn best, promise."

…

The rest of school goes about the same as the first half. Me tense and Scott not really reacting at all. He is like laser focused on Allison these days, and only training can pull him away from that. But today that is a good thing. I know Derek will want to go and see Peter just to make sure that he isn't the Alpha, and I won't let him go alone. I really hope I'm wrong, but I don't think I am.

The whole drive home I am trying to figure out how I am going to convince Derek of what is possible. When I finally get there dad is gone but Derek is pacing back and forth in the living room. He is usually so still that it is starting to freak me out a little bit. Especially because he has been pacing for the last fifteen minutes. "Dude! What is going on?" He glares at me but doesn't stop pacing. "Sometimes, if you talk out what is bugging you with someone else, it can help you process and gain insight. So, tell me what is rattling around in that head of yours."

He makes two more laps of the room and then stops in the middle to face me in the doorway to the kitchen. "If my Uncle is the Alpha, that means that he Killed Laura for the power. He killed his own niece. Why would he do that? Why would he kill one of is only remaining family members? When I visited him in the Hospital a few weeks ago, he couldn't even move, how could he be the Alpha that has been on a rampage for the last two months? It doesn't make sense, Stiles. He wouldn't do that."

His voice is shredded like he has been screaming for days. "I'm sorry Derek. I don't know what to tell you. I really hope that it isn't him. Like, I am massively wishing on everything that he isn't. But what if he is? How are we going to deal with it?"

His gaze drops from me and turns to face the wall. When he speaks again he is calm and collected and his voice no longer carries the harsh quality it had before. "I don't know. First we have to figure out if it's him or not."

"Okay, we should-"

"Tonight. I am going tonight. With or without you."

"Okay. How about we go for a run first. Burn off some of that excess energy you have."

"Stiles, I don't-"

"Nope, you need this, and we are going, so put on some tennis shoes and some workout clothes. You thought that chase the other night was intense, well, you haven't felt the burn yet." I go up to my own room to change into a pair of basketball shorts and a tank top. I fill up two water bottles and toss one at Derek when he enters the kitchen in a pair of his own shorts and a tight fitting t-shirt. "Okay, I know a few trails that we can follow, if you need to stop, let me know cause I can keep running for a while." He nods and we head outside to hit the forest behind the house.

We run for a few hours only stopping a few times to catch our breath. By the time we make it back to the house and shower it is almost eight. We hop in my jeep and go to the hospital. Scott calls me just as we park. "Dude, where are you? You know if you're not here you're not going to play right?"

"If I'm not where?"

"The semifinal! Dude, you're first line. Your dad is coming remember?"

Shit! I totally forgot about the game. "Okay, look, if you see my dad just, just tell him I'll be a little late. I'll be there."

"Okay dude, better hurry!"

"Okay thanks, bye."

"You're not going to make it."

"I know, but this is more important and he doesn't need to worry about it right now."

"Okay then, let's go." He starts to get out of the car and I put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "What?!"

"You're not going in there. Not yet." He gives me a look that says '_Really?'_ "Look, if he is the Alpha and we go in there guns' blazing, then he is going to be on the attack. At this point we don't know what is going on, so I suggest that I go in and scope things out. Then if it's clear we can go, if not then by all means charge in and save the day." He looks like he is about to argue with me but then backs off.

"Fine. But we are going to be on the phone so I can hear what is going on."

I roll my eyes. "Whatever you say sourwolf." He bristles at the nick name but slumps back into the seat. There is a tense line along his body but I can't really blame him for that.

So I get out of the car and quickly make my way to the long term care wing after calling Derek's phone. The place seems kind of empty, which is strange and should be a tip off of some sort, but I brush it off and continue to the room that is supposed to hold Peter.

Once I get to the door the bed is made and a wheelchair is sitting in the room unused. "Derek." I don't have to say anything else, I can't, because he hung up on me. I back up and as I turn to look down the hallway, there he is. Peter Hale. Burn wounds still on his face and wearing a black leather trench coat.

"You must be Stiles."

I turn to leave and almost run into a red head in a nurse's uniform. "What are you doing here? Visiting hours are over." There is a vague smell of wolf about her, but that must be from hanging out with Peter, not because she is one herself.

"Well this makes some kind of sick amount of sense." My heart is beating really fast and I know that Peter can hear it. I can't really say much more without giving myself away, but then I hear Derek coming and I turn mostly towards Peter not knowing where Derek is going to come in at. But then I hear the sound of bone breaking and a thump on the floor. Okay, so he took out the nurse.

"Well that's not very nice. She's my nurse." The way he says it is pretty much, 'I don't care, but I'm going to be snarky anyway'.

"She's a psychotic bitch helping you kill people." He looks at me for a millisecond, "Get out of the way." It is almost gentle the way he says it, unlike the reprimanding tone he is using with his uncle. I can't believe he is keeping his shit together right now. Like seriously, how is he handling this?

I step just out the way, but keep my body poised to strike should I need to. "You think I killed Laura on purpose? One of my own family?" They walk toward each other and finally Derek has had enough and partially shifts then launches himself at Peter. But Peter is too fast and catches him mid-air and slams him into the wall, that dents upon impact. Yeah, this isn't going to go unnoticed. I will have to get dad or Ms. M. to delete or get rid of any video footage. I scramble out of the way, but the bodies moving about don't give me a clear line of sight to fire anything off, so I have to make do with biding my time. "My mind, my personality, were literally burned out of me. I was being driven by pure instinct." He drops Derek on the ground next to the nurse and leans over to grab a set of keys out of her pocket.

Just as Derek starts to get up, I launch a few balls of electric fox fire at Peter all hitting him in the chest. But it only causes him to stagger a bit. I go over to Derek and pull him away. "Derek, we need to get out of here. Now!"

"You want forgiveness?" He continues to talk to his uncle as if I'm not there, but he does let my hands hold him back from pursuing any further. I stand in front of him with a few balls of light dancing in front of me as a clear warning.

"I want understanding. Do you know what it was like, all those years, slowly healing, cell by cell? Even more slowly coming back to consciousness." His words are slow and spaced, like he is still getting used to talking again. Which he probably is. "Yes, becoming an Alpha, taking that from Laura pushed me over a plateau in the healing process. I can't help that."

He truly is crazy. I mean yeah, being stuck in a body that won't do what you want would do that to a person. Put the wolf side of you on top of that? Yeah, you would be one messed up person.

"I can't forgive you for what you've done. You killed Laura. She's dead and she's never coming back. You are the one who did that."

"No she isn't Derek, but you went and got yourself a pet. A Kitsune, really?" He stops looking over my shoulder at Derek and starts looking at me. "And here I thought wolves and foxes didn't get along."

"Yeah, well, I tend not to follow the rules." He laughs and at this point I have had enough of this bull. We need to get out of here. So I hurl all the balls of light at him and then just as he is dealing with the blinding light and voltage running through him, I grab Derek and bolt it out of there. I know he won't be happy, but there is no way we can take him down in the middle of the hospital hallway. We need to regroup and we need a plan.

* * *

So again we have Stiles being somewhat of an asshole in the way he speaks. A lack of filter, one might say. Also, having to change the way like, everything, is handled because Stiles is an unpredictable force and changes the rules of the game. I love writing him snarky and defiant to the Argent's faces, and then immediately after, it's like all the energy washes out of him. I guess you could call him stupidly brave. Doesn't think about how bad it could go until it is already done.

Let me know what you guys think! Love to hear your thoughts!

Also, can't wait for you guys to read the next chapter. I am so messing with the way things ran...


	4. End of a Regime

(Slight amounts of dub/con)

I call Scott the second I know we are free. "Dude, where are you? You missed the game and you're dad is looking for you."

"We are on our way back to my house. When you're done you need to get there ASAP. Shit is real, and shit is bad." He agrees and then hangs up.

When we get home, dad still isn't there, so Derek and I go into the living room. Derek looks like he is on the verge of a panic attack or ripping the furniture to shreds. Either way, not good. I am still freaking out a bit that my theory turned out to be true. I get why Derek is the way he is right now. I don't think there will be any reasoning with Peter, so that really only leaves one option. And I know it's one that neither of us is going to be okay with.

Scott doesn't show up until almost a half an hour after we got home. It should have only taken him like ten minutes. When he walks through the door his heart is beating faster than is normal and Derek is up right behind him shutting the door. "What did he do to you?"

"What did who do?"

"The Alpha, Peter. He was in the locker room. He tried to convince me to join him." Scott goes and sits on the couch while Derek and I stand next to each other in mirroring poses with our arms crossed. "After I refused, he said something about seeing his point of view and then dug his claws into the back of my neck. Before I could do anything I started to see things."

Derek's eyebrows are drawn in tight together. "What kind of things?"

"I'm not entirely sure, there was fire, and people screaming, and then all the people that have died recently. The ones he's killed."

I look over to Derek in question of 'what the hell'. He looks back at me with some worry covered up by a lot of anger and confusion. "It's something that takes a long time to learn. When a wolf sinks their claws into someone's spine they can access memories. They can take, view, or share their own. It sounds like Peter shared his memories of the fire and those connected with it. What else did he want?"

"Nothing. After he did that, he left. It took me so long to get here because I wasn't able to move after he did that."

"Well then it looks like you already know our bad news. We went to the hospital to see if the Alpha was Peter, and now we know he is." Derek grunts and walks into the kitchen.

"Is he okay?"

"What do you think, Scott? He just found out that it was his uncle that killed his sister. How do you think he's doing right now?" Scott flinches at my words just as Derek walks back into the room with a glass of water for Scott. It is kind of surprising that he would do that, but then at the same time it isn't. Derek has grown closer to us since we have spent most of our free time with him. We are slowly, if not already, becoming a pack. Never thought I would be a part of one. Never thought I would need it. I'm glad I was wrong.

"We need a plan." Derek's voice is low and a little gruff.

"Right, well we can't take him out in public. We need to lure him away from there to make sure that we aren't seen and that he doesn't hurt anyone else."

"Knowing Peter, crazy or not, he will have a plan. Whatever we do has to match whatever he can throw at us. I don't think he is turning more Betas. He found out with Scott that it is too unpredictable. But that means he is going to keep trying for us. He wants us on his side and he will do anything to get us there." Derek looks at Scott and we all know that he is talking about Allison.

"Does she know? Have you been able to figure that out or not?"

"I'm pretty sure she doesn't, but I have heard her aunt say a bunch of stuff to her. It's like she is trying to lead her to the right conclusions." Derek almost winces, and I want to smack Scott, but then I remember that he doesn't know what I do about Kate. I will have to sit down and have a long heart to heart with him about that soon.

"She's the last." At first I don't know what Derek is talking about. It takes me a moment to remember the list.

"Everyone else on the list is dead. He knows that Harris really didn't have anything to do with it, so the last person is Kate."

"What do you mean?"

"She's the one who burnt my house and family to the ground."

Scott's eyes bug out of his head. "She did what? How do you know? Are you sure?"

"Yes, Scott. He's sure. She is dangerous and I don't want you to hang out at her house anymore. We haven't told your mom about Allison's family yet, and I won't. But if you keep going over there, they are going to figure it out. They are trained to recognize werewolves in everyday life. If you want to hang with her, go to your house or something. But from now on, the Argent household is a no-go zone."

He doesn't even fight me on this one. Even when he leaves he is still reeling from the shock of the information he learned. Just after he left, Derek went up to his room and slammed the door closed. An obvious way of telling me that he doesn't want to talk tonight. Part of me wants to go and knock anyway, but I know that it wouldn't get me anywhere. I'm a bit lost and I don't know what to do.

Dad gets home about an hour later saying that he had to take care of some things at the station and then asks me where I was. So I tell him what happened tonight and he sits down hard at the kitchen table. "Damnit kid, this is why I didn't want you involved with all this shit." He pours himself a glass of whiskey and downs it before pouring another.

I put my laced hands together on the table and stare at them, unable to look my dad in the face. His disappointment is enough to take without having to see the look I know is in his eyes. "I know dad, I'm sorry. I just couldn't let them face this on their own, not when I had a chance to help."

He is quite for a few minutes, and then surprises me with his next words. "You are so much like your mother." I look up at him.

"What?"

"She would have been doing the same things you are. Hell if she were alive, she would be right alongside you. Probably getting into more trouble than you are even." I don't really know what to say to that. Dad never talks about her. He still wears his wedding ring, and there is a bottle of her favorite perfume on top of his dresser next to her picture, but he never says anything about her. "I miss your mom." He moves to pour himself another glass, but I put my hand on his to stop him. "Thanks." It sounds like the alcohol has gotten to him a little bit.

There are so many things I want to say to him right now, but when I open my mouth the words won't come out. Like how scared I am, how much I wish that he didn't have to deal with all of this, that it might be better if he didn't know anything about the supernatural at all. How much I love him.

His eyes are drooping a bit and I know that he will pass out here if I don't help him up to his bed. So I move around the table and grab one of his arms and sling it across my shoulder. "Come on old man, let's get you to bed." He makes a noise of agreement and I heave him up and start to half walk, half carry him to the stairs. I don't have supernatural strength so carrying his weight is pretty hard. But I manage. Just as I hit the bottom of the stairs, Derek is there at the top. He comes down and wordlessly takes his other arm and helps me move him.

Dad starts talking some nonsense about wolves and family, most of it I try to tune out. I am on the verge of tears as it is, if I listen to anything else he says I know I won't be able to hold them back.

After we get him on the bed, I take off his shoes and tuck him under the covers, then place a kiss on his forehead and let him fall into sleep. When I close the door, Derek is standing there leaning against the wall. "Stiles-" I just shake my head. I can't deal with his right now.

"I'll be in my room if you need anything." Not even letting him respond, I close my door and then move to the closet and shed all my clothes turning into the fox. I can't cry in that form so maybe I can hold out a bit and get my emotions under control.

Once inside I curl up into the small nest I made myself there and bury my head under my tail in an attempt to forget everything and fall asleep.

…

The first thing I notice before I am all the way awake is a warm presence that is almost surrounding me. I take a deep breath and find that I am sitting In Derek's lap. We are still in my closet and the door is still closed. That means that he came in after I fell asleep and I didn't even wake me up. I am not usually so deep of a sleeper. So naturally I start to freak out.

"Hey, hey, calm down. You're alright. Sorry if I startled you, I just thought that you could use some company." His hand starts stroking over my fur. I don't know how I should feel about it. I think I should feel violated or something, but the action is soothing and I can't make myself move. Actually I push up into his hand. I don't know how long the motions continue and I can't quite stop the soft purr that is coming out of my chest. "You ready to face the world yet?" I burrow myself a little deeper in my tail and what must be his thigh. "Yeah, me either."

He doesn't say anything more, and keeps up the soft strokes along my back. I don't know how long we sit there for, but long enough for my dad to get up and leave for work and for the clock downstairs to go off a few times.

Eventually I feel like it's time to get up and see what life has in store next to screw us over with. So, slowly, I make my way off Derek's lap and he opens the door for me, and then moves out to the hallway. "I'll be downstairs. Come down when you're decent."

The door closes behind him. Shifting back to my human form is strange after the night and morning I just had. What the hell was all that? Why did Derek come in and sleep in my closet with me? I run my fingers through my hair in frustration, but make sure to not make any noises that would give myself away. Instead I get dressed and make my way to the bathroom to relieve myself and stare in the mirror.

I think the thing that is throwing me is that last night was the first time I slept all the way through the night since mom died. Usually I get woken up by small noises in the neighborhood. But last night I didn't wake up once. I don't know what to make of that.

Finally I get downstairs to the smells of bacon frying and eggs being scrambled. Without saying anything I set the table and fill two glasses with milk. Derek brings over two plates of food and we start eating in silence. Well that is until I have to open my big mouth. "So… what was that about?" Derek just gives me one of his patented eyebrows. "Don't look at me like that. You know exactly what I'm talking about, sourwolf."

His almost smug look turns a bit sheepish and I instantly feel guilty for verbally attacking the guy, but I don't know why. "I could sense your distress, and when a pack member is in pain, you give them comfort. I'm not always good with words, so I thought a physical presence would be better." I just kinda gape at him. It's pretty undignified, but that was not the answer I was expecting. "I apologize if I overstepped any boundaries."

And it's that almost dejected look that has me hastily responding with words. "No! No, I mean, it was, well, nice. I mean, a little weird, but only because I'm not used to it. I'm just not a heavy sleeper, so it kinda freaked me out a bit when I woke up and you were there. I didn't even know you had come in. But it's cool. I mean I like to cuddle and I am kind of a little fluff ball when I go all foxy. And you can stop my rambling any time now, or I will just keep going, and going, and going-"

"-Stiles, breathe." I stop and suck in a lungful of air and am unable to stop the blush that is starting to spread on my cheeks. He doesn't say anything else, and I get the feeling that nothing more needs to be said. If I want to cuddle some more, I think he would be willing to oblige. It makes my stomach go a bit queasy at the thought, but not in a bad way.

The rest of the morning goes quietly and it's about lunch time when I get a text from Scott. 'Dude Jackson knows!'

And what! So I call him. "What do you mean he knows?"

"I mean that he cornered me on the field today and told me how he knows what I am and that if I don't get him the bite, then he is going to expose me to the Hunters and everyone."

"Shit." I look over at Derek and he has a look that is mixed between worry and anger. "Okay, well we need to talk to him I guess. Convince him that he doesn't want this from Peter and tell him to keep his nose to the ground."

"I tried that, but he wouldn't listen to me."

"Yeah, well he'll listen to me."

"Stiles, no offense, but he kind of hates you more than he hates me. What makes you think he will listen to you?"

I can feel my eyes shift to the green I know they are. "Because, Scotty, I won't be asking. Tell him to come to the abandoned warehouse in the old ironworks in an hour." I hang up and get up to go and change when a hand comes down on my shoulder.

"Stiles, what are you going to do? Are you going to kill him?"

"No, I'm not a killer. But he's going to learn to never cross a fox. If he doesn't keep what he knows to himself I am not above scaring the shit out of him." Derek nods and goes to his room. Probably to get dressed and come with us. Typical, but not unwanted. Derek looks pretty intimidating. Well at least when he's not stroking fingers through my orange fur. I can't help but laugh at the thought, and then get all confused with this giggly feeling that overtakes me. So many things to deal with, I can't even right now.

…

Derek and I get there about twenty minutes early, but it is enough time for us to scope things out a bit before Scott and Jackson get here. Usually I would be busy playing on my phone, but now all I can do to keep myself calm is to swirl some balls of fox fire around in the air and try to meditate a bit. Derek is watching the balls of light closely, but I think it's mostly because of what he's seen I can do with it.

When they get there, Scott reeks of fear and Jackson is smug as ever. At least until he sees me and Derek standing next to each other in the middle of the somewhat crowded warehouse. "What is Stilinski doing here? I thought I was going to meet this Alpha, not some scrawny flee bag." Derek growls and I laugh.

"You know, you think you're all that because mommy and daddy buy you nice things and that you are Mr. Popularity, but strip those things away and you are just a scared little boy." I let the fox fire whirl down from the ceiling where I moved them and let them dance around my hand. "Now I on the other hand, once you get rid of the geeky spaz façade that I have put on all these years, well," I let my eyes glow green, "you get a whole different picture."

Jackson's heart stutters a bit and backs away into Scott's shoulder before moving behind him. "W-what are you?"

"I'm something you really don't want to mess with. Just like the Alpha. He is bad news and if you ask him for the bite, he is more likely to kill you than to turn you. I don't know everything that Scott said to you, but this is not a life that you should walk into on a whim. You probably only want to be turned for selfish reasons, and that never ends well. So this is me giving you an option. Keep your mouth shut, or these little balls of light will do more than dance around in the air."

Before Jackson can say anything in return there is gunfire and bullets flying everywhere. I speed over to Jackson and knock him to the ground before he can get hit, and Scott is right there with me. I yell for him to get Jackson out of there. He hesitates for a split second, but then does go. Derek is right beside me and I push him to follow but he doesn't budge. "Derek, Scott is going to need you. I am faster and I can distract them better than you. You have to help him. Please."

"No, Stiles. I'm not going, not without you."

"Damnit, Derek. GO!" He pauses like Scott, but also moves out to follow the other two out. Now it's all me. The fox fire I had is dancing a crazy rhythm, and I make a few more to surround me completely. Then I open the door and start to run, but I am struck across the back of my head and the world goes black.

…

When I wake up I am chained to a metal grate and my hands are covered in iron sleeves while the rest of me is wrapped in what appears to be an iron link chain all around my body, but the chain feels lighter than it should, and it smells of oils and herbs. Must have gotten a witch or something to enchant this so I would be unable to transform, but it is keeping my eyes perpetually green. My shirt is missing and there is dried blood on my chest and I can feel a bit on the back of my neck. Overall I seem to be fine. No injuries still healing anyway, but I don't know where I'm at or how long I've been here. The pounding in my head is dulling my other senses and at first I think it must have been the blow I took, but if the rest of my wounds have healed, then that should have too.

"My, my, what a catch." I lift my head and there is Kate, standing in front of a sliding metal door. "You might be wondering why your senses are a dulled a bit, little fox, and the answer to that is a small dosage of mistletoe straight into your bloodstream." She is smiling like the cat that caught the canary, and in this case, I guess she did.

"You know you won't get away with this. My dad's the Sherriff and I have some friends in high places."

"Oh, I'm counting on that. You don't think I let you live because I wanted to set you free did you? No, you're only bait for the bigger catch."

"You want the Alpha? What makes you think he'll come for me? I'm just a fox."

Her smile widens, "No, not just a fox. But you have those wolves close to home, and they will come for you, and the Alpha will come for them. You see how this works." I really don't have anything more to say to this bitch so I stop talking. She just keeps smirking at me until she gets a message on her phone. "Oh, my guest is here." She leaves me and closes the door behind her.

Once she is out of the room I start to struggle with my restraints and attempt to break free, but I know that it is useless. There's no way I'm getting out of here on my own. Wherever here is. Then I hear the footsteps coming back and I strain my now limited hearing to try and figure out what's going on. Then I hear a heartbeat that I have become all too familiar with. Allison. Shit. "What is this place?"

They are just outside the door now, I guess Allison didn't know, but she is about to find out. "Let's start with the basics. You know how every family has its secrets? Ours are a little different." Kate pulls the door open. The room is darker than what a human could see in so Kate walks in to the construction light with Allison trailing behind her. Allison looks tentative, obviously seeing the humanoid outline in the small amount of moonlight that is filtering in from a window behind me. Then Kate turns on the light and Allison is gaping at me. "Isn't he just adorable?"

She doesn't say anything in response, but she knows who I am. I know that Scott has talked about me to her, she knows that I am one of his friends. Kate walks around from behind the light and over to a box that is hooked up to some wired attached to the chains that are surrounding me. Without my hands free the electricity that she starts humming is free to run through my body as I am unable to absorb it. "What are you doing to him? Is that gonna kill him?"

"Oh, come on, kiddo. Don't get all ethical on me now."

She stops the electricity but then turns it back on just enough to keep me from crying out, but also from saying anything as my body tries to handle the damage that is being caused. "What is he?"

"Well this one is a Kitsune, a fox-spirit." She laughs. "To me he's just another dumb animal. Now the main problem this town has is werewolves. They are the truly dangerous ones." All I can think is that she hasn't seen anything yet. I am far more dangerous than any wolf.

"Is this a joke to you?" Allison looks a little incredulous. But she also isn't trying to get me down from here or stop her psycho Aunt from torturing me anymore.

"Sweetheart, there are supernatural creatures running around in the world. Everything's a joke to me. How else do you think I stay sane?" You call this sane, lady? I would hate to see your crazy.

"So is he the one that's behind all the animal attacks?" She actually sounds afraid, and I mean, yeah, I guess if I just found out about this part of life then I might be a bit scared too.

"No. That would be the werewolves. He is just running with them, protecting them. So far as we know there are at least two, possibly three. The two lesser ones are called Betas, and then there's the one in charge. He's called an Alpha, the pack leader, bigger, stronger, nastier. Those, are the real ugly mother fuckers."

Kate turns the light and the voltage off before they leave the room and close the door behind them. But they stay within earshot for me to know what is being said. "When were they going to tell me?"

"They still haven't decided _if_ they're gonna tell you."

"Why?'

"Well, let's just say if you react badly when you find out… Not good."

"What do you mean, 'Not good'?"

"They don't think that you can handle it. They look at you and they see this frightened little girl who's gonna run crying in the corner when she finds out the truth. Me? What do I see? Natural talent. Allison, you said that you wanted to know what was going on, and to feel less out of control right? Now's your chance." I start to lose it after that. But I do hear her saying that she needs to go back to school and to the dance that was going on in the next few days, and that she is going to help her aunt catch the Betas. They leave and don't come back so I sag a bit in the chains and settle myself in for a long few days. Possibly my last.

…

I wake the next day with my stomach growling and my throat dry. Just because I'm supernatural, doesn't stop me from having essential needs. But what really wakes me up is the sound of footsteps and the metal sliding door opening. "Morning sunshine. How's our little fox today?"

"Why don't you let me go, and I'll show you just how happy I am to see you?"

"Awe, feisty, just the way I like them." She walks over to the table that has all of my stuff on it and the box that is hooked up to the electrical wire. She starts going through my wallet. "How do you even pronounce that?" She's looking at my driver's license. "You poor bastard." She puts it down after laughing some more and then turns to me with a half serious face. "Now, why don't you just tell me who the Alpha is? It would save you a lot of pain, and I might even be willing to give you a head start."

"Why would I tell you if you're just going to kill me anyway?"

"Well, I can make it quick, or I can drag it out for days, weeks even. So you either not telling me because you want to kill him yourself or you're trying to protect him."

"Neither, I don't like the bastard, but I'm also not going to give you the satisfaction of the kill. And I do know how much you love killing, Kate. So does my dad. And now the fact that you've kidnapped me and are threatening my life, well, we have enough to put you behind bars for the rest of yours. That is, however much longer that might me."

Her smile falters a bit there. "What is that supposed to mean."

"Oh, come on. You can't say that you haven't been paying attention to who is being killed can you? I think if you went over the names again you might see a few familiar ones. Now, are you going to stand there and talk me to death, or are you going to torture me?"

"Oh, sweetie, I don't want to torture you. I wanna get to know you better. I mean, you and Derek seem thick as thieves now-a-days. I want to see what all the fuss is about. Maybe reminisce about the good old days."

"You mean how you burnt the Hales alive?"

"Well, I was thinking more about the hott crazy sex Derek and I used to have." For some reason that gets my blood boiling and my hands itching with want to release some fire on this bitch. "But the fire thing, yeah, that was fun too." Really now more than ever in retribution. If Peter doesn't kill this bitch then I am going to make sure she rots for the rest of her life and I will never let her forget who put her in that jail cell. "You know, I love how much you hate me. You don't even really know me."

"I know what you did, that's enough to hate any psycho like you."

"Oh, but the fun Derek and I used to have together." There is a small glint in her eye. "It went something like this." She licks a broad strip up my abdomen and pulls away with a devilish grin on her face and my thrashing to try and get her off of me. I am going to need a really long really hot shower after this, and it has nothing to do with the sweat at grim that has collected on me. "Mmm, sweetheart, I really don't want to torture you." She turns her back to me to face the door where a man is standing now. "But he does."

She leaves and this guy pulls out some brass knuckles, and who really uses brass knuckles anymore, I mean come on, and then proceeds to wail on me until I am fading in and out of consciousness again. I don't know how much of this I can take. I mean I heal pretty fast, but if they keep up alternating between the mistletoe, electroshock therapy, and beatings, I know I won't make it too much longer.

The next time I come to fully conscious and aware of my surroundings Kate is sitting at the table with her back to me and she is on her phone listening to some messages. "Hey, it's me. I'm getting tired of leaving messages. I want to know where you are. Call me. Now."

"Seems like your brother isn't too happy with you. Gotta hate that family drama. But seeing as you really aren't sticking to the damn code you all boast about, I guess that doesn't really matter too much. I bet if he knew that you were holding a teenager captive he wouldn't be too pleased."

"You know for someone who talks an awful lot, you really don't say much. If you're not gonna talk, I'm just gonna have to kill you. So, say hi to your Laura for me." She pauses her hand over the knob for the electricity. "Do you think he told her about me? Told her what he did?" I don't respond or look at her. I can't stand to look at her. "No, I suppose he didn't. Do you think he told anyone, besides you that is? I mean it is a lot of guilt to keep buried, but he does seem the type. Really though, it isn't his fault he got tricked by a pretty face. It happens." She laughs. "Handsome young werewolf mistakenly falls in love with a super-hot girl. Who comes from a family that kills werewolves. Is that ironic? Is it ironic that now you're the one essentially helping me to track the pack you are working so hard to protect? The one I already destroyed. We're just a little bit of history repeating itself."

Now she is about to go down a road that I don't want her to. They don't know that the second Beta is even a real thing. And they sure as hell don't suspect Scott. "It's really not all the ironic at all. I mean, you are just a psycho bitch who likes killing for the sake of killing. You don't follow a code, instead you kill innocent people."

"Innocent? You are calling yourself innocent? No, you are a monster. I just happen to be a monster hunter. I am just purging the earth of the filth like you."

"Yeah, why don't you tell me how that has worked out in history? The Crusades, Hitler, British vs. the natives, American Internment camps? How did all of that end? Sure many people died, but eventually the good guys won, and everyone was left in peace. At least until the next big bad came along. You are just one in a long line, and your time to fall is coming soon. Of that I promise you."

"Oh, you think you're little tirade was enough to stop me from putting two and two together and getting four?"

"Well with the level of stupid you somehow manage to maintain, yeah, I thought it might be."

"Well, now that I know you're little buddy Scott is the Beta, I can go to that dance and make sure that kid, with those adorable brown eyes, will get exactly what he deserves." I start thrashing some more after she leaves. I need to get out of here so I can warn Scott, but the chains are just as tight and just and solid as they were before. I can't do anything. Then there is someone coming. At first I think it might be the guy who was torturing me, but when the door opens, I am surprised to see Allison there.

"Stiles, I don't have much time, but I have to ask you something."

"Something your Aunt can't answer?" So I might let a bit of my frustration and anger out on her. It's not like its misplaced or anything. Not really.

She looks guiltily at the floor. "I don't know that I can trust her."

"But you can trust me?" I can't help the malice that goes along with the words.

"I think so. Scott trusts you, and I trust Scott." She falls quiet for a moment and then looks me in the eyes. "He's a werewolf, isn't he? One of the Betas."

"Why would you think that?"

"Well, you are helping to protect Derek and if you're protecting him, then you would probably do the same for another werewolf. And Scott is your best friend. Your brother. You wouldn't sell him out."

"No, I wouldn't."

"So I'm right?"

"I didn't say that."

"Stiles, I need to know."

"How can I trust you? You've known that I am here this whole time, but you haven't told Scott, Derek, or hell even my Dad. I'm still being held here against my will, and you aren't doing anything to help me. Yet you want my help. I don't see this as a win-win situation."

She looks a bit ashamed at that, and steps forward. At first I thought she would turn on the electricity again, but she starts to pick the lock of one of my hand prisons with a bobby pin from her hair. "I don't think you're dangerous, Stiles. If Scott is a werewolf, I don't think he is either. My family has been lying to me from day one, and I know that. I started snooping around and found the Code that my family is supposed to follow. I know that we aren't supposed to hunt kids, at least not without irrefutable proof that they have done something to hurt someone else. I also know that you haven't done that. I see that you sit with Erica, Isaac, and Boyd at lunch. And now I know why you won't sit with Scott and I. It's because of my family. You didn't' want to be associated with a Hunter and I can't blame you, but Stiles, I'm not a Hunter. I'm just a girl who wants to protect her boyfriend and his family. That means you."

She gets the lock opened and my hand free, but before I can say anything, I hear another set of footsteps. "Allison, give me the bobby pin and get out of here. Someone is coming and you can't be caught helping me. You need to go and warn Scott. Tell him where I am and make sure that he gets Derek and my dad to come too. Go!" I take the bobby pin and put it in my mouth and slip my hand back into the cage it was in so it looks like I am still bound. Allison slips out and goes in the opposite direction of the approaching footsteps so I know that she will make it out okay. Hopefully she will get the message to Scott and they make it here before anything terrible happens.

As soon as the guy who beat the shit out of me earlier comes into the room I know that I am getting the hell out of here, with or without the others. "Back for more play time? I guess once with me just wasn't enough." He flips on the light and gives me a grin. His balding head and grey beard are not doing anything to hide the fact that this man is old. I mean, not old, old, but still old.

"To be honest, my knuckles are kind of hurting. So I brought some help." He holds up a bat. "But I need to warn you, I used to play in college."

He swings and I pull my hand out with a ball of fix fire in to grab at the bat and burn it to ash. "When was that, like the stone age?" He lunges and I have just enough time to let off a ball of electric light to hit him square in the chest. The shock rattles through him and he falls to the floor unconscious. Then I get to work on unlocking the chain that has me tied up and the cage my other hand is in. Just as I am about half done, I hear a howl go up. That sounds like Derek, and he doesn't sound too happy. So I guess the cavalry is on his way.

I finish up getting myself free and fall to the floor. All the stress my body has been through is enough to make me want to sleep for a month, but there's this itch under my skin that is telling me that this isn't over. More like this is the beginning of the end. Mom always said to trust my instincts, and I am not going to ignore them now.

It's pretty easy to find my way out of the tunnels, but that puts me outside in the woods outside the old Hale house? What? Seriously, this is where I've been the whole time? Okay, well that is not going to give me a good vantage point for whatever is going to go down here. So I go back through the tunnels and make my way up the staircase to the house and then up to the second story to sit on the roof in the shadows. Derek and Scott appear and are being chased by Kate and Allison, but it looks like Allison is trying to stop her aunt from hurting the wolves, not joining in with her.

Kate shoots Derek, and I almost launch myself off the roof in retaliation, but then I hear another set of footprints and the sound of a gun. So… Chris Argent? Then another that enters the house. Peter. I slink against the wall and just hope that there is so much going on out here that he decides to ignore my presence.

Chris stops Kate just as she is about to shoot Scoot. "Kate! I know what you did. Put the gun down."

"I did what I was told to do." That's the truth. She wasn't the mastermind behind the fire? Who then?

"No one asked you to murder innocent people. There were children in that house, ones who were human. Look what you're doing now. You're holding a gun to a sixteen year old boy with no proof that he spilled human blood. We go by the Code." She gives him a sardonic look, and he says the code in French. It translates to 'We hunt those who hunt us.' Chris pulls his gun up to aim at her when she refuses to lower hers. "Put the gun down…" he fires off into the tree behind her, "before I put you down.

She lowers her weapon but that is when Peter decides to make an entrance, and they are all on alert again. Derek has managed to crawl behind a tree and starts to recover from the bullet Kate put in him. Peter ends up knocking all of them on their asses, and then pulls Kate into the house and start talking to her. As soon as that happens, I start throwing up as many balls of fire as I can handle at one time and let them hover all over the clearing in front of the house. I will be able to hit Peter no matter where he is. I just need an opening.

Derek gasps and I look down to see him staring up at me. I nod to him and he nods back. Allison follows them in and I can hear what is being said, but I have to block it out. Especially when Peter rips out Kate's throat. But Derek and Scott are there to try and tackle Peter so that Allison can get out. She runs to her Father and then sees me standing on the roof. "Move. Out of the way. Now!"

The fighting in the house continues and then I hear the sound of Peter making the final shift and throwing Scott out the window. When Peter jumps outside he is in the twisted visage of a wolf. A true monster. He gets a handle on Scott and I don't know where Derek is, but as soon as Scott kicks himself away I hurl everything I have waiting at him. Normally once the fox fire hits its target, it dissipates or is absorbed or something, but this time, I hold it and let it completely cover Peter's body. It is a cruel way to die, and I feel really bad for it, but my electric fire doesn't seem to do much more than stun him, and I can't let Derek be the one to kill his only remaining family. That would be too painful for him. I don't know that I can live with the knowledge that I have taken a life, but to protect my friends, I would do just about anything. I keep the fire going and let it singe every part of him before letting it go out.

After I release it, I feel light headed and I start to sway. I know I am falling but I can't catch myself. Luckily I don't have to. "Hey, Derek. Sorry to just drop in like that." I can barely keep my eyes open, but I can feel him pulling me up against his chest and keeping me there.

"It's over now." But I can still hear Peter's heartbeat.

"No, it's not." I mumble into his shoulder. I turn my head just enough to see Argent approaching Peter to check if he's dead. Peter starts to say something and Argent looks back to Derek with a questioning glance. Derek just nods and then turns to walk out of the clearing with me in his arms. The sound of three shots being fired is the last thing I hear before I look up into Derek's eyes and watch them turn from blue to red before I pass out.

* * *

Dub-con scene when Kate licks Stiles

So yeah, I did a thing. I'm not even really sure what to say here, so I will just let it be.

Tell me what you think! Love to hear feedback from you guys. Also this isn't then end, but from here on out, things will not be running parallel to the show. Major changes ahead!


	5. Waking Up and Exposing Secrets

Major feels in this chapter! It is kinda short, but I feel like it is good and I didn't want to add anything on to the end of it.

Plus I am a bit late in writing and posting this. So enjoy!

* * *

"Is he going to be okay? It's been two days and he still hasn't woken up yet?"

"His heart is beating steadily, I think his body is just trying to repair itself. I don't know what _she_ did to him while she had him. Foxes don't heal quite as quickly as wolves and he expended a lot of energy to take out the Alpha." There is a tone of bitterness, but it is directed at the now deceased, not me.

"Okay, okay." Fingers thread through my hair for a moment before footsteps leave the room. I can't open my eyes yet, or move my body, but just hearing Dad's and Derek's voices is enough to know that I am safe and that everything will be alright.

There are fingers in my hair again. "Wake up soon." It is gentle enough that the sensation of the touch lulls me back to sleep.

…

The next time I wake up, I can hear soft breathing from the corner and the sound of crickets outside. There is no light hitting my eyes so it must be night. The heartbeat in the room is familiar, one I have gotten to know quite well over the last two months. Two months. That's it. It's only been two months since Scott was bitten and Derek Hale appeared in our lives. A crazy two months.

Slowly I let my eyes crack open and take in my surroundings. It's my room and Derek is slumped down on the chair in the corner with his feet up on my bed. He looks so much younger and peaceful asleep. Relaxed. But at the same time he is tensed, as if waiting to bolt from the room at a moment's notice.

I let my other senses open up to take in the rest of the house and hear dad's snores coming from his room. Otherwise the rest of the house is quiet. Scott must be home. I wonder what happened after I passed out. I thought I saw Derek's eyes change from Beta blue to Alpha red, but that could have been my mind playing tricks on me. It would make sense though. If Peter is dead, then the power would pass on to the next Hale. Right? Then I start thinking about what happened. Being trapped in the basement of the old Hale house and Kate torturing me there, Kate shooting Derek, Peter killing Kate, and then me shooting all that fox fire at Peter. I've never tried to control more than four or five balls at a time. I don't even know how many I had lit up that night.

Before I know it, my breathing is getting shallower and I can feel the beginnings of a panic attack coming. I haven't had one since mom died. I try to focus in on Dad's heartbeat like I usually do, but it isn't working. Then there is a hand on my chest and red eyes lighting up the darkness. I can feel my own burn green in response. "Breathe, Stiles. You have to breathe. You are okay, you're safe, no one got hurt."

I give a nervous giggle at that. Because no, people got hurt. They were the bad guys yes, but people still got hurt and I am partially one to blame for that. I hurt people. Me. Mom was a protector of Beacon Hills and I am just a killer.

A low growl comes out of Derek's chest. So low that I can feel it as it ripples the air between us. "Stiles!" And for some reason that does the trick. My breathing evens out and my heart matches his. "That's it." He keeps breathing and eventually I can feel the exhaustion fall back over me in the aftermath of the attack. "You gonna be okay?"

I nod, and then shake my head. No, I am not okay. Derek seems to sense that though and crawls up into the bed with me wrapping me in a strong embrace. Not wanting to fight the comfort I am so desperate for, I let my nose fall into his neck and take in his scent, all the while focusing in on his heartbeat. He keeps talking, but it is white noise as I let the exhaustion take me back under.

…

The third time I wake up I decide that this was the last. I was going to stay up and not fall back asleep no matter how much my body wanted to. Derek was downstairs with my dad talking and I did my best to ignore what it was about. Sadly, my hearing is just a bit too good and I know that they were discussing my night time panic attack. So instead of getting out of bed I just roll over and bury myself in the covers. I'm still not sure what time it is, but by the light is seems to be verging into late afternoon.

Things are quiet for the most part. Then there is a knock on the door. Derek is the one who answers it. "I told you that Stiles is still recovering from his kidnapping and needs to rest." So that's the story they are going with. Lies mixed in with just the right amount of truth. I approve.

"Look here, Sexy McGrufferson," Erica. I let out a sigh while trying not to laugh. Only she would talk to Derek like that. "I let you turn me away the last three times, but this time, not happening. All I want to do is see him with my own two eyes. If he's asleep, I promise not to wake him up." Her voice changes from anger to almost desperation. "He's my friend, and I just want to make sure he's okay."

I can tell that Derek is about to tell her off again, but I would really like to see her. "Derek, let her up." I know he'll hear me, and the growl that comes out only confirms it.

"Keep your voice down and don't stress him out. He still needs to rest."

She lets out a sigh. "Finally! Come on Isaac." Now that I let my hearing fully expand I can hear three extra hearts. Erica, Isaac and Boyd. I don't know why, but all of a sudden I have tears threatening to fall from my eyes and I have to quickly wipe them away before my friends get to my room.

It doesn't take long before there is a knock on my door and Derek is entering with the three misfits behind him. Boyd stays at the door leaning on the frame while Isaac and Erica come further into the room. Isaac stops at the foot of my bed, but Erica doesn't hesitate to crawl up into the bed with me and lay her head on my chest, pulling me into a tight hug. "You got some explaining to do Beast Boy."

Derek growls at the blonde's actions, and that only makes me want to laugh. "Oh, shut up and sit down, Sourwolf, she's fine." I wrap my arms back around her and hug her back.

"Your bodyguard has been stonewalling me for the past three days."

"He isn't my bodyguard."

"Could have fooled me, what with the angry eyebrows and a scowl to match. Where did you find this guy?"

"That's Derek. He's been staying here for a while. Derek, this is Erica, Isaac, and Boyd." I gesture to each respectively. "They are my friends from school."

Erica sits up and looks down at me. "Yeah, school, you know that place you haven't been to all week cause you had to go and get your ass kidnapped. A story I completely don't believe by the way."

I roll my eyes and give a small laugh. "Of course not."

"Well, you did promise to tell me about what was going on when shit was done. And now that you are back and Scott doesn't seem to be on edge anymore, pretty much tells me that the danger has passed, am I right?" I nod. "Okay then, spill you're guts."

So I do. Derek seems uncomfortable for the most part, but doesn't say anything or interrupt. He just stands in the corner of the room glowering at all of us. "And that's about it."

"No, it's not, I mean it explains that you're a fox spirit thing, which is all kinds of awesome by the way, but that tells me nothing of what actually happened."

"Well, there are these people, Hunters, they go after other supes like me and contain them, make sure they aren't a threat to the general populace, or… get rid of the ones that are. There is a family of them here in the Hills right now-"

"-Allison's family." Erica interrupts.

"Uh, yeah, how did you-"

"Her father is an arms dealer. They are probably packing enough fire power to weaponize a small army."

There really isn't much I can say to that. "Yeah, they do."

"That's why you don't like Allison. You recognized her name or something, and knew what her family was." She is too smart sometimes.

"Her last name." Isaac pretty much whispers it. As I was talking He took a seat on the floor near the head of the bed. Close enough that I can reach out and touch his head. Slowly I do. He doesn't flinch and I am proud of him for that.

"Yeah. Argent."

"It means silver in French. Like werewolves are hurt by silver?"

"Got it in one." I touch my finger to my nose. "But she actually helped me. It was her crazy aunt that captured me. She was trying to use me as bait for the guy that killed all those people."

Derek takes a few steps forward. "She helped you?"

I nod. "She unlocked one of the cuffs I was chained up in, and then got word to you and Scott so you'd know where to find me. It's thanks to her I'm alive. I don't know if we can completely trust her yet, but, she is going against her family, so that is pretty major." He gives a sharp jut of his chin in acknowledgement and then moves back to the corner with his usual grumpy face. That is a lot to take in and think about. The last time he trusted a Hunter, she killed his family.

"Okay, so I get how you're involved now, but how about Angry Eyes over there? How does he know what you are?"

It takes me a minute to stifle the laughter that is bubbling up in me from her name and Derek's low growl at it. "That isn't for me to say. I told you, I was going to tell you what was mine to tell. That isn't my secret to share." I am talking to Erica, but I am look at Derek. His eyes go wide for a second before he schools his face into its normal grimace once again.

Erica looks over to him with questioning eyes and he huffs out a breath. Then his eyes glow red and they narrow to slits. I was right. He's an Alpha now. "I'm what goes bump in the night."

"Okay, so you're the boogeyman. Impressive." She rolls her eyes with the last word and looks at me totally unimpressed.

Low growl again. "Try again."

"He's a werewolf." Boyd speaks for the first time since they got here.

"Right. An Alpha at that. Gotta say, I think I'm going to miss those blue eyes though." Derek's gaze meets mine for a moment before it drops to the floor. "The Argents are mainly werewolf hunters, but they don't discriminate species. They usually follow a code, but there are a few who don't. _Kate_ was one of them. She just wanted to kill us all, simply for existing."

"Right, there was a big blow up a few days ago about her body being found in the woods and how she was connected to the Hale fire." Erica seems to think on that for a moment, then turns to Derek. "Hale. You're Derek Hale, aren't you?" Derek flinches at that. "I used to be friends with Cora." Erica seems to realize what she is talking about then and quickly shuts up. "Sorry."

Derek just grunts and sinks into the corner a bit more. "Okay, how about we all quit talking about the supernatural, and move on to better topics. Like what has been happening at school the last few days. How long was I missing for anyway?"

"I haven't seen you in a week. You got taken a few days before the dance. Everyone was pretty worried about you, but no one knew where you were. Then there was a story circulating that you were kidnapped and when I found out that you were home from Scott, I started coming over. _He_ wouldn't let me in until today."

"Wow, okay, so a week. Uh, has Scott been around? Where is he?" That is the moment when I hear his heartbeat coming up the sidewalk on his bike. "Never mind. Erica, you might want to scoot over to the other side of the bed, I'm about to be the middle of a Stilinski sandwich in three, two, one-" The door opens and Scott comes flying at me. Erica is being grabbed in a hug behind me and he is going on and on about how good it is to see me awake. I hug him back just as fiercely and then tell him to ease up on the human.

He backs away at that. "They know?"

"Uh, yeah, just got done telling them what I am."

"Oh, my, God! You're a werewolf too! That makes so much sense. It happened right after winter break, didn't it? I knew you didn't just get that good at lacrosse out of nowhere!" Erica starts screaming and hits Scott a few times.

"Erica, you should probably calm down a bit." She looks at me and then seems to settle a little. I just don't want her to get worked up into a seizure here in my bedroom.

"Uh, yeah, I am." Scott looks bashful, almost afraid of what Erica will think of him. Which is funny, because the last time I knew, they didn't know each other at all.

"Don't worry wolf boy, it doesn't change the way I think about you." Erica says rolling her eyes for probably the millionth time since she's been here.

"Did I miss something? Since when do you two talk?"

"The first day after you didn't' show up for school, I asked Scott where you were. He didn't answer. I may or may not have hit him a few times until he confessed that he didn't know. The next day, him and his girlfriend sat with us at the Island of Misfit Toys, and every day after that. When you were found after the dance, I didn't even have to threaten him for the information. He just conveniently omitted that fact that your body guard was here."

"For the second time, he's not my body guard."

"Uh, dude, he kinda is." Scott looks sheepish admitting his thoughts but keeps going anyway. "When he carried you away from the house he wouldn't let anyone touch you except your dad. The first day he wouldn't even let me in your room."

I look over at Derek with a 'really' look. He shrugs his shoulders but doesn't look ashamed. "You needed to recover and you couldn't do that with a wound up ball of tension that you claim is your best friend sitting next to your bedside smelling like guilt and sadness."

"You can smell emotions?" Isaac asks timidly.

"Yeah, it's a thing. Just like I can hear your heartbeat." I don't argue with Derek, mostly because I know he was right, but at the same time, that means that he has been keeping watch over me almost twenty-four/seven. I am both creeped out and weirdly touched at the gesture. Pushing that to the back burner for now, "Okay, we need to not think about all this supernatural bullshit right now. I vote for a movie and pizza night. We were planning one of those weren't we?"

Scott nods and moves off the bed to pull out his phone. "I got the pizza, well, I don't have the money, but I can order it. The usual, times like four?"

"Yeah, and one with all veggies and light sauce for my dad. I'm sure I have money around her somewhere." Derek hands a credit card at Scott.

"Dude, you sure?" He simply nods and then moves back to his corner. "Okay, I'm not gonna complain with free pizza."

I look at the other three. "Why don't you guys go downstairs and pick out a few movies. I just wanna take a quick shower cause I stink and then I will meet you down there." Boyd waits for Erica and Isaac is the last one out with a somewhat worried look on his face. Probably thinking about how to ask his dad if he can stay. Scott follows after them placing our order while Derek stands at the door as if waiting for me. Before he can leave, I have to say something, probably really embarrassing. "Thanks, by the way."

He looks back over his shoulder. "For what?"

"For being there when we needed you."

There is silence for a minute before he turns away from me and quietly replies. "That's what you do for pack." Derek is down the stairs before I can respond. The air is almost sucked out of my lungs while a warm feeling curls up inside my chest. I have a feeling that Derek isn't going anywhere, anytime soon.

Once I am showered and changed into some sweatpants and one of my dad's hoodies that says 'Sherriff's Department' on it, I am downstairs and handed a slice of pizza as a movie plays in the background. Somehow I ended up wedged between Erica and Scott with Isaac sitting at our feet on the floor. Boyd is sitting in front of Erica and Derek is sitting in dad's armchair. It feels so right that I almost forget that anything bad happened.

That is until Isaac's phone goes off. He pulls it out and I see that it's his dad calling. Shit. Isaac must have forgotten. Before Isaac can do anything I take the phone out of his hand and answer it. Isaac's eyes go wide as saucers and starts shaking his head no, but it's too late. "Hello, Mr. Lahey."

"Who is this?" He sounds kind of pissed off.

"This is Stiles. I'm a friend of Isaac's from school. He was just helping me with some of my homework since I have been gone all week. Being kidnapped really bites into your academic study time, ya know?" Isaac is almost trembling when I lay a hand on his shoulder and squeeze gently to calm him down. "We must have forgotten the time while working, he's in the bathroom right now."

I know that by playing the kidnapped and homework cards that Isaac should be given some leniency, but if this guy is as crazy as I think he is, then even that might not help. "Okay, just tell him to come home as soon as he gets out of the bathroom."

"Well, now that I have you on the phone, I was wondering if he could just spend the night? I mean that way we can keep studying. I can take him to school in the morning, and I'm sure my dad won't mind. He should be home soon if you want me to ask him?"

A normal human might not be able to hear the silent swearing going on, on the other side of the line, but mine is just good enough to make it out. "I would really like him home tonight."

"Okay, I just could really use his help in chemistry. It's my weakest subject and I know that it's Isaac's best. How he manages an A while I am stuck with a B minus, I will never know. Must get his smarts from you." The words taste like poison on my tongue, but I am a pro at buttering up parents to get what I want. "The Sherriff is always on my case about keeping my grades up, and I don't even have a job like Isaac does. Pretty sure his GPA is higher than mine." Also a casual mention of the position my father holds will be a not so gentle nudge in the right direction.

Isaac still looks fearful, but there is also a slight blush about his cheeks. Boyd puts a hand on his other shoulder and draws his attention away from me with a quiet smile. "I-I suppose. You sure it isn't going to cause trouble with the Sherriff?"

"Nope. Thanks a ton, Mr. Lahey, I really appreciate it. Isaac just got out of the bathroom, did you want to talk to him?"

Isaac's gaze goes back to me, but I keep smiling at him. "No. Just remind him that he has a shift tomorrow night." The tightness never left Mr. Lahey's voice, but that seems like a final judgment of sorts.

"Will do. Thanks again." I hand up and hand the phone back to Isaac. "Would you help me take the empty pizza boxes to the kitchen?" My gaze stays focused on Isaac and I keep my voice light. He nods and we gather up the trash and head out. Quietly so Scott and Derek will hear, but the others won't, I whisper, "Please don't listen in. I need him to trust me."

Getting a low growl from Derek and a Whine from Scott, tell me that neither one is happy about being left out of this conversation, but also acknowledge that they will not eavesdrop.

We get the cardboard to the recycle bin and the leftovers in the fridge before I jump up onto the counter and pat the empty space next to me. Isaac takes a moment before jumping up and then hunching over to fiddle with his fingers and the hole in his jeans. "You know, that if there is anything you need to talk to me about, you can, right? I mean, I know we haven't been friends for more than a few months, but if there is something going on, you can trust me."

Isaac opens his mouth a few times as if he is going to say something, but the words get stuck in his throat. I grab one of his hands and hold it in mine and he grasps it so tightly. We sit there like that for about ten minutes before he is able to say anything. "Sometimes when my dad gets angry he hits me. It could be a simple cuff on the back of my head or a jab at my ribs. But on the days it's really bad, he locks me in an old chest freezer in the basement." Now I am grabbing his hand back just as tightly and my breathing is hitched. I can hear growling coming from the living room, Derek obviously ignored my request. "Most of the time, I don't even know what I did wrong. I keep my grades up, I'm on the lacrosse team, I work, I don't know. I try to fix it, but I don't know what I did. I should have called him tonight, I forgot. It's my fault. It's my fault."

He starts shaking again, almost violent tremors wreck his body. I hop of the counter and, cautiously so as to not surprise him, wrap him in a hug and start stroking my hand up and down his back like my mom used to when I got hurt. I keep my voice calm and quiet even though I want to yell at him right now. "Listen to me, Isaac. You didn't do anything wrong. None of this is your fault. None of it. You are a good son, a good friend, a good person. You do well in classes, you are great at lacrosse, and you do more than most kids our age do. There is nothing wrong with you. This is all on him. Okay? This is not your fault." I pull away from him and look him in the eyes while holding onto his shoulders. "Now I need you to answer me truthfully. Do you feel safe in your house?"

The tears that I felt slide down his cheeks are continuous as I face him. He tries to talk but all he can do is shake his head no. Then he is full on sobbing, and I pull him back into a hug and let him get it out. I have tears falling from my own eyes and it takes all I have to stay here and not go after the asshole that made my friend feel like this. There are footsteps behind me and I can feel Derek standing a few feet away, but all my attention is focused on Isaac right now.

"Okay, there are a few things that need to happen. First, when my dad gets home, we need to sit down and tell him what is going on, and you need to file an official complaint. That should be enough to get you removed from your dad's house."

Isaac shudders again, "Where will I go?"

"You will come to live here."

"But you already have Derek here."

"I'm getting my own place. You won't be kicking me out." I turn to look at Derek while keeping my arms around Isaac.

Isaac lifts his arm to wipe away the snot and tears from his face, voice still unsure. "You sure?"

Derek nods. "See, everyone is going to be okay. You are going to be okay. You just have to take the first step." Isaac nods, and I pull him back into a hug. Talking with my dad will be tough, getting all the right paperwork in order will be harder, but now that there is something we can do to help Isaac, I know that dad will do everything in his power to help him out.

* * *

I love the way Erica talks to Derek, and the names she calls him. I don't know why, but she has this aversion to calling people by their name unless the situation is really serious. Derek is going to get a few more before she finds one that sticks.

Also I feel bad about the Isaac feels, but in this vers, Mr. Lahey lives and it will be a legal battle that gets Isaac away from him.

So I have soooooooo much planned for this story. There are a few elements that I am unsure of yet, but some pretty major plot points have been shoved into my head and I cannot wait for you guys to see what I have planned! Like seriously, bursting at the seems. Let me know what you think!


	6. Revelations and a Warning

After Isaac's confession we all gathered on the couch again and when dad got home, the others sensed that it was time to leave. Isaac sat at the table with dad while Derek and I stood on opposite sides of the door leading to the dining room, listening in.

When they are done, Dad sends Isaac up to take a shower before bed, then pulls me into a fierce hug. "He stays here." I nod in agreement, and he turns to Derek. Before dad can say anything though, Derek is holding up a hand to interrupt him.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay here for so long, sir. I can get things lined up to get myself a place by the end of the week."

"I'm sorry to have to kick you out like this, son." The word gets Derek again, just like every other time my dad has said it to him.

"Don't be. He needs you." He looks at me over my dad's shoulder. "I've made my peace. I know that I have a place here again." Then he looks at my dad again. "But it's time for me to move on."

Dad looks almost concerned. "You leaving Beacon Hills?"

Shaking his head no, "I'm still needed here. Besides, this is home." Before dad can respond he is back upstairs and in the guest bedroom.

"Is he okay?" His eyebrow is raised in question, but there is a serious undertone there.

"Yeah," My voice is thick at first and I have to clear my throat. "I think for the first time in a long time. But, uh, dad, you know that his uncle is dead now, right? That Derek is the new Alpha?"

"Does that mean the all this business is behind us? That we can finally relax?"

"I'm not sure. I mean, yeah the deaths will stop now, and you were able to find Kate's body in the house, so she can be finally blamed for the fire. But I have this feeling that this is only the start. Mom once told me that Beacon Hills is just that, a beacon, the supernatural flock here. Something like this happening, is sure to keep them away for a little while, but…" Dad runs a hand over his face and sighs. I look down at my feet so as to avoid looking dad in the eyes as I say this next bit. "I can't stand idly by anymore dad. If there is something threatening the town, or any of my friends, I am going to go after it. Just like mom did. I know that she didn't do it often, but that is because there was a pack of werewolves living here. They took on most of it, but I'm part of the pack now. I'm going to help however I can."

A hand falls on my shoulder and I finally look up to see sadness and pride in my father's face. "I know, and I'll be right there with you, kid. No secrets, no lies. If something's happening, I want to know about it. Okay?" All I can do is nod and pull him back into a hug. "Your mother would be so proud of you son."

We don't say anything else. Dad goes to his office to start the paperwork for Mr. Lahey's arrest, so I go upstairs to get Isaac some clothes to change into. Just in time too. He is coming out of the shower wrapped in a towel with another resting on his shoulders. "I-I don't have anything to wear."

I put a smile on my face and let the thoughts of Isaac's safety bring me back to a happier place. "No worries. I was just about to get you some. Though, the pants will probably be a bit short. I'm not quite as tall as you." The smile I get back is small, but there.

After he goes back to the bathroom to change he comes back to my room. "Am I sleeping on the couch?"

"Nope. I thought we could share. If you're okay with that. Scott and I do it all the time, so it's no biggie to me. But if you'd prefer the couch…"

He thinks it over a bit. "I don't mind sharing, I just-"

"Don't worry. I still have nightmares sometimes. Come on." I go over to the bed and let him choose a side. He goes closest to the door and after we are both under the covers, not touching, he finally starts to relax for the first time all night.

"Thanks, Stiles." It comes out a whisper.

I reach out a hand and tentatively grab his, "Nothing to thank me for, dude." He grips it back and we both fall asleep.

…

I wish that I could say that things went easy from there out. But that would probably be the biggest lie I ever uttered. The fight with Isaac's father took almost two months, but it finally was put to rest. Mr. Lahey got seven years in prison with possible early parole with good behavior. The house was put up for sale and Isaac was officially adopted by dad. I have a brother (legally) for the first time in my life. There was a big party and everything. Well big meaning all of our friends, Mrs. McCall, and dad.

Derek moved out by the end of that first week just like he said he would. Right now he is living in a loft apartment on the outskirts of town. He had the old Hale house torn down and a memorial tree planted in the center of the clearing where the house once stood. Sometimes when we can't find him, I go there and see him just sitting there, leaning against the tree, staring off into the distance.

It's on one of these occasions where I ask him something that has been bothering me for the last few weeks. Of course, I am smooth and ease myself into the conversation. "So, are you going to build yourself a pack?"

He rolls his eyes in the usual way, "What are you talking about, Stiles?"

I sit down in front of him stretching my legs and resting back on my hands. "Well, as the Alpha, you can bite a few more Betas, and according to the books I have, and the books you have lent me, they say that being a lone wolf is hard, that you need others to draw on for strength. That three is the best number. I know that you asked Scott, and I know that he still hasn't given you an answer yet. Why, I don't know, but he hasn't. I will have to have a talk to him. But back to my original point, do you want to build yourself a pack?"

His eyebrows do this almost funny sort of dance on his head as he thinks through what I just said. The settle in the normal 'frustration' mode. "I don't know."

"I know you've thought about it. I have too."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, and I think I know a few perfect candidates."

"Erica, Isaac, and Boyd?"

"Maybe." The three of them have inserted themselves so fully into our lives that I can't even think of how we managed to survive without them. If we aren't all hanging out at my place, then we are at Derek's loft. Derek is over at our place at least five nights out of the week, and Sundays have officially become pack dinner night. Even dad is there for that.

"Stiles-"

"Don't 'Stiles' me. They are all good candidates for different reasons. Erica has epilepsy, if she got the bite then she wouldn't have to worry about seizures anymore. Plus, she is just as fearsome as any wolf I've ever met. She would make a great second. Boyd could really use the feeling that pack can bring. I mean sure they are pack now, but as a wolf, you feel it differently. His family is really big and he kind of gets forgotten. Dad doesn't say anything, but he usually spends about two or three nights a week at our place. He is strong already, and he brings a levelheadedness that you and I are both somewhat lacking and he needs a place to belong to. And Isaac… Isaac could use the confidence in himself. He is getting so much better, but there are still moments." I look down at the ground. "Sometimes he still sneaks into my bed at night. I don't care, you know I don't mind cuddling. I just want him to be happy, and I think that with you, he can get something I can't give him. Be a mentor to him."

"You're right. Boyd would do well as a wolf, so would Isaac and Erica, for all the reasons that you said. But this isn't something that they should go into lightly. The bite can turn you, but it can also kill you."

"I know, Erica and I have been talking about it. Don't give me that face, she asked me almost right after she found out about us. She knows the risks and is willing to take them. I told her that you may not want that though. So she hasn't said anything to you about it."

"I just… I don't want…"

"To be responsible for any more deaths. That is what you were going to say, isn't it? But Derek, that's the thing. You aren't responsible for any deaths. None. I will keep telling you that until you believe it."

He doesn't look like he believes me, but he doesn't fight me on it either. I'll take that for progress. "You're also right that she would make a good second, but I already have one."

And what? "You do? I thought Scott-"

"-Not Scott." There is a small smirk on his face now, but I am still way confused.

"If not Scott, then who?"

"You, dumbass."

I point at my chest. "Me? What? How can I be your second?"

"You have been there for me since I got back and the others all listen to you." It feels like he stops himself from saying more. But me?

"I, I don't know what to say."

"That must be a first." The snort that falls out of me can't be helped. Derek has gotten looser the last two months. The grumpy face falls a bit when it's just him and me. It's getting there with Isaac, but I think that is more out of a big brother sense than anything else. "Don't say anything, just yes."

"Uh, yeah, yes. I mean, don't be afraid to replace me if you want to later on when you have some actual wolves in the pack, but yeah, thanks." He nods and I can't think of anything else to say. Which is really something. I just feel that we need to shake this off. "How about we go for a run?" He nods again and stands. I follow and start to make my way to the edge of the clearing, but the noise of clothes falling to the ground has me turning back to face Derek, only to turn my back to him just as fast. "Uh, dude, don't you want to wear your clothes as we run through the woods? I'm just sayin'."

"Can't if I want to do this." There is a quiet popping and when I turn again, there is a black wolf with red eyes standing were Derek was two seconds ago.

"Dude!" I move towards him and reach out a hand. He playfully jumps back and then lunges forward to trip me onto my back with him on top of me. My hands move through the silky fur around his neck and head. His nose goes to my neck scenting me and I return it. "This is so awesome! Now move so I can shift too." I shimmy out of my clothes and make the change into my fox form and nip at Derek's heels before taking off into the forest.

Derek told me once that his mother was able to make the full shift and that Laura had just learned how to do it a few months before she was killed. He said that not all werewolves can do it, that it takes an incredible anchor and a focus like no other to complete. He said that he has never heard of a bitten wolf capable of the full shit, and that the true Alpha form is something like a wolf, just a fair bit larger. The fact that Derek has been working on how to make the shift to a wolf says a lot about his head space. Three months ago, this would not have been possible for him, but now, I mean I didn't see it, but it sounded like a fluid transformation.

As we run I try to get lost in the thrill of the chase and the newfound playful behavior Derek is displaying, but all I can think about is Laura. How if I would have been paying closer attention, if I had started running patrols through the preserve and town, that she might be alive right now. That Derek wouldn't have lost all of the blood family he has left in the world. How it all feels like my fault.

Derek must notice my distracted behavior and when we reach a clearing deep in the forest he shifts back and beckons for me to do the same. "What's wrong, I caught you far too many times, I thought we were running to stop thinking? What has you so distracted?"

My breathing starts coming out labored. "It's my fault."

"What's your fault?" He steps closer to me and lays a hand on my shoulder. The weight of it is light, but it is heavy enough to make me want to sag to the ground. "Stiles, what's your fault?"

I whisper the words, half afraid that once Derek hears them, he will see the truth of things and leave. "If I had been doing things the right way, and not hiding, I could have saved Laura. I've caused so much death just by not paying attention."

My legs buckle from under me and it's only Derek's quick reflexes that save me from a face full of dirt. "No. Stiles, you were only doing what you thought was best."

"No, I wasn't. I didn't want to hide, but I thought I had to. If I had my way, I would have been out every night, if for nothing else then to run about the preserve. If I had, then Laura would be alive, and you wouldn't be alone. How can you even stand to be near me?" Tears are pooling in my eyes and I don't want to cry, but now it seems inevitable.

"Stiles, look at me." He pulls my chin up so that I am staring into his ever-changing eyes. "If you had been out there, then Peter may have killed you instead. You wouldn't be here right now."

"But wouldn't that be better? You would have your sister back."

"She wouldn't want that Stiles. You may have not known her, but you should know that."

"Derek I-"

"NO!" he lets some of the Alpha voice come out with the word as his eyes bleed red. "This is not your fault, just like you said the deaths of my family aren't mine. If you blame yourself for Laura, then that means their deaths are on me."

"It's not the same."

"Not exactly, no, but in other ways, yes it is. The facts still remain, neither one of us killed them. It was the acts of others that did that." He pulls me to his chest and lets me collect myself for a few minutes.

After my breathing is calmed and the tears are dried away, I come to realize that Derek and I are both naked in the middle of the forest. I am sure that I am blushing about twenty shades of red right now. So I clear my throat and push back a bit. "So back home?" Derek only nods and we both shift to make our way back.

We don't talk anymore about that moment in the woods, but Derek hasn't let me forget it either. His touches come more often and there have been a few times where he finds me in the closet curled up in a furry little ball. He just shifts into his wolf form and curls around me. Our friendship is shifting and I can't say that I mind all that much.

…

Everything goes well for the next few weeks. I know that Derek is talking with Erica about receiving the bite and is getting all the facts from the horse's mouth, as it were. I think it is going to happen right after the next full moon. That way she has a whole month to adjust to being a wolf and we don't have another moon like Scott's first. It is at a pack night that Scott texts me and says he is coming over and that he is bringing Allison. "Why?"

"I don't know Derek. I asked him and he didn't respond." A deep growl comes out of his chest. "Look, he wouldn't bring her unless it was something important. He knows how we all feel about the Argents, so does she for that matter. If she is willing to come to the wolf's den, then that means she probably has a good reason."

"Yeah, listen to Beast Boy. He knows what he's talking about. Besides, Allison isn't so bad once you get past the crazy, fanatic Hunter family." Derek's eyes flash to her now. "And that glare doesn't work on me just yet. Can't say for after I go all furry, but for now, I'm not impressed, Mr. Grinch."

Scrunching my eyes at her, "I don't think that was the one either."

She huffs and slumps back into the couch next to me. "I know, but I am running out of names."

"You'll find one eventually, Catwoman." Derek's growl simmers down at our banter, but he is still tense. "Don't worry, sourwolf. It'll be okay." I put a hand on his shoulder. He doesn't sit with us regularly on the couch but when he does, we all pile around him. Or at least as much as he will let us anyway.

It doesn't take too much longer before there is a sound of a car pulling up in front of the house. Derek stands up and puts himself in-between the door and the rest of us. Like Scott is going to bring Hunters here to hurt us. I sigh and move to open the door, but he holds his hand out and keeps me behind him. Before I can say anything, he opens the door and steps back in front of us as Scott comes in the Allison right behind him.

Scott nods his head at Derek. "Hi." Things have been tense between the two of the them since the night Kate and Peter died. Scott still hasn't accepted Derek's offer, and every time I try to talk to him about it, he talks around the question and slips away. I didn't know that he was even able to do it, I guess I must be rubbing off my bad habits onto him.

Derek just nods back, and I can't help but roll my eyes. "Hey Allison. Scott wouldn't tell me what this was all about, but I am guessing that you can?" I keep my tone polite but also make sure she knows that this isn't a social call and that we have business to discuss.

She nods back, there is an awful lot of nodding going on here. "I know that you don't trust me, Derek, but I want you to. I don't agree with anything that my family has done, or is doing. I wanted to come here and tell you that my grandfather is coming to Beacon Hills. Dad won't say much to me, but from what I have overheard, this isn't a good thing. I think he is coming here because of what happened t-to Kate." She closes her eyes when she says her aunt's name. The funeral was tough for her because she felt like she didn't know the people she loves anymore. I know that she has been spending quite a few nights over at Lydia's house because of that. "I don't know for sure, but I think he is going to try and cause trouble for your pack. I can't do anything to stop you, but I will do my best to keep you informed as to what he is doing. Enough blood has been spilled, I don't want anymore."

There is silence for a few minutes, and the tension has to break somehow. Guess that's up to me. "You really know how to pick 'em Scott. A Romeo and Juliet romance. Too bad she doesn't seem the type to kill herself over a lost love." I wink at him so he knows that I am only giving him a hard time. It gets a weak smile from him, but a full grin with dimples from her. Derek looks back to me and I ask him silently if she can stay. We have gotten a lot better at communicating with our eyebrows. He sighs and nods. "Why don't you join us for some burnt popcorn and bad eighties movies?"

"Are you, are you sure?" she looks from me to Derek.

"Yes. You helped us when we needed it. You're welcome to stay." I think that is very gracious of him, we are at his place after all, and letting someone he doesn't trust in is like a no-go, so that means he is okay with her a little bit. Progress.

"Hey, Scotty, why don't you help me in the kitchen with drinks while they get the movie started?" There are questions written all over his puppy mug, but he comes with me anyway. Allison looks a bit nervous, but Erica comes over and grabs her arm.

"Come on Huntress." I have to laugh at the comic reference and nick name.

Once in the kitchen I turn on the faucet and the fan over the oven so that Derek will have a harder time listening in on our conversation. Scott give me a weird look, but then he catches on that I want to talk. "What is it Stiles? Why can't we talk with out all that?" He gestures at the noise makers.

"Because you are being an idiot and Derek doesn't need to listen to you insult him as I try to talk to you about joining his pack."

"Stiles I-"

"No, this is where you listen to me talk first, and then we actually talk about why you don't want to be a part of a pack that makes total sense. I don't get it, dude. I don't get why you wouldn't join the guy who helped you through all the tough shit that we went through. He has done nothing but try to help you, help us. He isn't the one who turned you without consent. He helped to stop the one who did. He trained you, helped you find an anchor, risked his life for you. What is so bad about the guy? Why don't you like him."

Scott hunches in on himself almost like he knows he's been petty and ridiculous. "I just… I didn't want this, Stiles. I didn't want any of this. I was forced into it and I'm still not okay with it all. If I join Derek's pack, then that makes it real. Okay, it makes it real, and I'm not ready for that yet."

I sigh and put an arm across his shoulders, pulling him close to me. "Buddy, it's real whether or not you're ready for it. I'm sorry that this sucks for you, and that you feel conflicted, but this is your life now. You really have two options here. Accept that you are part of the supernatural world, or try and keep yourself in denial. The first option will lead down a hard and sometimes painful road. It's not always going to be puppy piles and pack nights. It means taking a stand against those who would hurt others and protecting the ones you care about. The second takes you down a dark and twisted path that will slowly drive you insane to the point of turning into your worst nightmare. You'll hurt people you love and eventually you will lose yourself to instinct. The first path we are friends, brothers, just like always. The second I watch your every move and when, not if, the moment comes, and I put you down before you hurt someone. I know this is harsh, but that is our lives, Scotty, I love you. I want you to make a choice that you can live with."

He keeps his gaze down. "He's going to turn others, isn't he?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Erica is getting the bite after the next full moon. He needs a pack, Scott. He needs a family. You gonna be a part of that?"

Finally he brings his eyes back up to meet mine and then embraces me in a tight hug. "Yeah, I am." I tug him a bit closer. When we separate I knock him upside the head. "Hey!"

"Took you long enough." He laughs and we go back into the living room with some drinks. Before he sits down Scott approaches Derek.

"Uh, if the offer still stands, I'd like to join your pack." Derek looks to me for a second and I nod my head with a smile.

Derek moves his head in a sharp nod, "Of course." As we settle in to watch the movie I hear a quiet thank you from Derek. One that I know Scott didn't hear. Even with a possible new threat coming, things finally seem like they are coming together. I only hope that Grandpa Argent won't cause too much trouble for us.

* * *

So this was kind of a hard chapter to get out and a bit shorter than I may have liked, but I like all the elements that were put in here. I am not going into large detail about somethings, like the trial with Isaac's father. Mostly because I don't know the legal system outside of what you see on cop shows and Law and Order. If you have questions about things, I have an idea of what would happen in this vers, and would be more than happy to answer.

I want to focus more on the creation of the pack and how they all act. This chapter was about Stiles and Scott, The next will probably be Erica, Boyd, and Isaac. Also starting with the Gerard conflict. There is no Kanima in my vers because Jackson never received the bite, but he still knows about werewolves so he will be making an appearance. I have plans for Lydia so that will involve him.

Thank you for all your continuing support in this venture! I always look forward to seeing what you guys think! So please don't be afraid to comment and tell me how awful or wonderful I am doing.


	7. Becoming a Leader and a New Enemy

Fire. Burning flesh and fire. It's all I can smell. The flames dance behind my eye lids and the smoke burns in my eyes. A roar lets loose and then gasping. I can't move, I can't block it out, it just keeps coming.

I am jerked out of sleep and into Isaac's embrace. "Stiles, it's okay, you're okay." One of his hands stoke up and down my back in a soothing gesture. "It was only a nightmare." I hug him back hard and wrap my fingers in the fabric of his shirt so that he can't move away.

We sit there for a few minutes before Isaac lowers me back to the bed. I pull him down with me and hide my face in the crook of his arm focusing on his steady heart. This isn't the first time he has woken me from the dreams that now seem to plague me.

"Was it Peter again?" I nod my head slowly. "It wasn't you're fault. You didn't kill him. Argent did that. Scott and Derek both said. He put three bullets in him. It wasn't you."

I keep my voice low and try to keep back the panic attack that is threatening to start. "I know, but it was me who burned him. A second time I might add, as if the first wasn't enough. I put him through the agony of it, again."

"From what you guys have told us, it kinda seemed like he deserved it. I mean, he killed his own niece just for power. Someone like that doesn't deserve to live." I can't really argue with that statement, and I don't want to. The silence stretches. I am thankful for his presence though, without it, I don't know what I would be dreaming next, or if they would ever stop. I am almost asleep again when Isaac speaks up. "I don't think I want the bite."

That has me paying attention and wide awake again. So I sit up to show Isaac that I am listening. "Why not?"

"I don't want to be a monster. I know that Derek and Scott aren't monsters, that isn't what I mean." He starts to play with the hem of his shirt. "I don't want to end up like my father. He is a true monster, and I'm afraid of what I might do if I have the kind of power they do, what it would do to me."

"First off, there is no way in hell that you would be anything like him. Secondly, you would handle the power just fine."

"How do you know? How do you know that I wouldn't go crazy and try to hurt someone?"

"I know because I know you. I know that you would rather hurt yourself than anyone else. Yes, it is a struggle and the first few moons are tricky, but once you find your anchor and get some training, you would be fine, better than fine. I have so much confidence in you Isaac, I just wish that you could have that in yourself."

He blushes a bit but we settle back into the pillows and snuggle up under the covers. "I don't know."

"Look, no one is going to force you to take the bite. It is totally up to you. And if you don't take it, that's cool. Talk to Derek about it. I know that he still seems a bit grumpy, but he's kind of like an onion."

"Yeah, yeah, he's got layers." He rolls his eyes using his whole body, but laughs at the joke. "You sure he won't mind?"

"Positive." The silence overtakes us again, and I am able to fall asleep, this time feeling safer with the presence of another. Hopefully the nightmares will go away with time.

…

The next day after school Isaac and I head for Derek's place. The plan was for everyone to meet up for homework, but Scott and Allison were going off to have one of their super-secret dates that everyone totally knows about, and Erica was still talking with Boyd in the library. They haven't quite gotten to the point of dating yet, but they have been talking more and more. So it's just Isaac and I.

We set up our normal study area in the large living room area which consists of two large couches and a few cushy arm chairs. There is a low coffee table that gets covered with our books and papers, which is where we are when Derek comes down from his room upstairs. Isaac looks over at him with hesitation, so I just gently nudge him to go.

Slowly he gets up and walks halfway over to Derek who is getting something out of the fridge. "Derek? I was wondering if I could talk to you about something?"

"Sure." He comes back out of the kitchen with a confused look on his face. His gaze goes from me to Isaac.

I start to get up, "I'll just go get some food-"

"No, Stiles. It's okay, you can stay."

"Are you sure, Isaac?"

"Yeah, I trust you." Those words coming from Isaac hit me right in the gut. Trusting anyone having gone through what he has means a lot. So not able to get any words out, I just sink back to my Trig homework. It takes a few minutes before Isaac can work his way up to saying anything. Derek has taken a seat in the arm chair closest to me and Isaac has sat back down across from me where he was before. "I wanted to talk to you about my place in the pack."

"Okay?"

"What I mean, is, if I choose to stay human, is there still a place for me?" Isaac is very quiet when he utters the words, and pulls in on himself. It is almost reminiscent of when he was still living with his father.

"Yes. A pack isn't always made of only wolves. Stiles isn't a wolf, but he is pack."

"Yeah, but he is a different kind of supernatural being, I'm just… human."

Derek looks to me like I have the answers, but I just ignore him. He has to learn how to talk to his pack members without me pushing him along. I know he can do it, he just has to believe in himself. When he senses that I am not going to be forthcoming with any advice he grumbles under his breath but turns back to Isaac. "Being human isn't a weakness. It's a strength. My-my family had quite a few humans in it. They make the pack more grounded. It's easy to give into the instinct and let the animal take over. Humans help us remember who we are, that there is more than the primal drive. If you choose not to take the bite, Isaac, I won't think any less of you. Actually, I will think more of you."

"What?" He looks a bit confused at Derek's honesty.

"You have the choice to be stronger, faster, more, than what you are. You could be all that, but if you choose to remain human, you are choosing to fight for yourself without the advantages this life can bring. Being human in a pack of wolves isn't easy, you might feel left out sometimes and we may try to baby you every once in a while, but someone like you wouldn't let that stop them from trying to do more, be more, than what anyone could expect of you. The fact that you were brave enough to confront me about this goes a long way to prove that." Derek looks down as he keeps speaking. "I know that I am not always the easiest to get along with, that I'm not always agreeable, but as long as you are in my pack, human or wolf, I will be there for you."

Isaac looks like he's on the verge of tears, but I can tell that it is from a good place, not a sad one. "Thank you, Derek. I-I haven't made up my mind yet, but I have a lot to think about."

We go back to doing our homework and eventually Erica and Boyd show up to join us. Derek orders some Chinese food and we eat while we study. Derek stays quieter than most nights, just sitting in his chair reading a book, but I see the casual glances up he makes at us. I doubt he gets more than three pages read the whole time we are there.

When darkness begins to fall, we start packing up our stuff and I toss my keys at Isaac. "Go get the Jeep started; I'll be down in a minute." He sends me an inquisitive look, but I just nod my head towards the stairs to get him moving. Once he is in the stairwell, I look over to Derek.

"What is it Stiles?" He doesn't even look up from the page he must have read a hundred times in the last two hours.

"You did good today. Knew you had it in you." He just quirks an eyebrow at me. "Well you did. You said exactly what he needed to hear."

He puts his book down on the coffee table and leans forward on his knees. "I just said what was true."

"Exactly. We don't want you to tiptoe around words, Derek. We want you to be a leader. Sometimes that means telling the truth, even when a lie would be easier to bear. Sometimes it means being a big brother or a friend. Sometimes it means just being there in the same room as us without saying anything at all. You are doing a good job. I don't think I tell you that often enough, but you are. I know you think that you weren't born to be the Alpha, and while that may hold some truth, it's also complete shit." He looks a bit flabbergasted, and I can't help but laugh. "Just thought you out to know, sourwolf."

…

The next night has Derek and I running in the preserve to make sure that there aren't any traps set for the full moon the following night. Scott is doing a lot better than his first few moons, but he still isn't always perceptive of his surroundings. With grandpa Argent coming to town, Derek has been more on edge, so we haven't gone out all the much to run, but tonight I finally convinced him that Scott needed it. Spending every full moon cooped in my basement has got to be hell on both of them.

Usually when we run it's in silence. But tonight Derek seems to have something lurking under the surface. "Dude, just spit it out already."

It takes him a few minutes, but we slow down to a casual walk and eventually he stops all together. "Boyd asked me for the bite today."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he came over before he went to school. He said that he has been talking to Erica about it and has read some of the books you gave him." He sends me a raised eyebrow.

"What? That knowledge is for the whole pack. If he wants to read it, who am I to stop him? I knew that he was talking to Erica about it. He asked for the books like two weeks ago. I thought that he would ask, I just wasn't sure when." Derek grunts and stares off into the woods. "So, what did you say?"

"I told him that Erica will receive it first, because she has the greater need for it. That if he still wanted it after the next full moon, then I would give it to him."

"Okay, then why do you still seem so disgruntled about the whole thing?"

"I just- I want to make sure they all know what this life holds. I understand why Scott isn't happy about the bite being forced on him. I've grown up being a werewolf, I don't know any other way, but they all have a choice, and this would only put them in more danger."

Something in my chest warms at that. Derek is thinking about how this could hurt his pack. How it would affect them. He really has changed quite a bit from the surly man who refused to share when we first met. "Yes, but it is their choice. Why don't I text them and tell them to meet up at my house before we go running tomorrow? That way you can lay it all out for them, and then maybe your martyr complex will be satisfied that you did all you could to warn them." He nods in acquiescence, and we continue our run.

I send out the texts and after we finish only finding a few traps, we head back into town. Tomorrow is going to be tense, but I think that everyone will be better off once Derek gets this off his chest.

…

"So what was this pow-wow about? Was everything okay in the preserve?" Everyone's here and we have a few hours before we plan to go out on our run.

"Yes, Erica, everything is fine. Derek just wanted you all to be here cause he has something he would like to talk to you about." I pull Scott off to the kitchen to grab some snacks and drinks while the others get settled. "Scott, could you just let him speak? This is going to be hard for him to do, and we know how you feel about things, but just let him say his peace without interrupting him, okay?"

Scott gives me a quizzical look, but says nothing; just nods and we bring out the food. I nod to Derek so that he can begin.

Talking isn't always Derek's strong suit, but when he feels passionately about something, he can really get going. "So, I, uh, I wanted to talk to you about the bite. I know that you have heard Stiles, Scott, and I talk about it before, but I just feel like I need to lay all of this out there for you. It's a major decision and not one that should be made lightly. The bite can either turn you or kill you. That is something that you have to know going in. Being bitten could kill you. Not even just from the bite, but from the danger that comes with being a wolf. You have more to fear than your own instincts. There are Hunters out there that want to kill you simply for existing. There are other packs that may come to try and claim the territory, my claim as Alpha, or even your place in my pack. There are wolves without packs that may try to get through our territory, ones that will have to be dealt with, if you are a wolf, you will have to help me with that. There are other creatures that will also come here. There is a source of power in the preserve, it acts like a beacon to the supernatural community, this town was once protected by my family, I have left it unguarded for far too long. Now, I'm back, and I plan on staying. It won't always be easy, but with all of that also comes a pack. Pack means never having to deal with something on your own. There will always be someone there to help you when you need it. I will always be there when you need me."

He lets the words hang in the air for a moment before continuing. Finally sitting down on the couch next to me. "There are other dangers as well. Mostly from yourself. Scott can tell you that he has a rough few first months. His circumstances were different though, he didn't have an Alpha to guide him through everything-"

"-No, but I had you. And you were better than any Alpha I could have had." I'm glad that Scott interrupted Derek with that. It eases some tension out of Derek and the room. This is a heavy talk, but Scott is there to show that Derek is doing a good job so far, and that he can be counted on when the going gets tough.

Derek only nods his head in thanks and keeps going. "But I will be there to help you. The instinct is only a part of you; it doesn't have to define you. My mother once told me that just because we are predators doesn't mean we have to killers. I hold true to that as best I can. But at the same time, when it comes to the safety of my pack, no one will stand in my way. I want you three to make the best educated decision that you can. If you choose to remain human, you will still have a place here. I can't guarantee what the future holds, and if any of you want out at any time, that's fine. But once you're a wolf, there is no turning back."

Everyone stays pretty quiet for a few minutes, but then Erica, my blonde goddess, speaks up. "Thank you for laying it all out there like that, but my mind is made up. I don't want to have to fear for the next seizure attack, I want to feel like I finally have some kind of control in my life. I know that it won't come right away, but it will eventually, right?" Derek nods his head. "Okay, so that's that. Tomorrow I get the bite." She slumps back into her seat next to Boyd and opens up a bag of chips to start munching on.

Boyd and Isaac obviously look like they still have some thinking to do, so I switch topics to defuse the room a bit. "Okay, how about a movie before we let the wolves loose, huh?" I grab a random movie and put it in the DVD player and sit down to watch it. Derek seems to be a bit more relaxed now, but I can tell that the full moon is still edging on him. I place a hand on his knee and squeeze to give him an extra bit of comfort, and it seems to do the job.

Dad comes home just as the movie is finishing up and Erica and Boyd are leaving. "Son, I want you to be careful tonight."

"I know dad, believe me, the last thing I want is any more trouble. Thing is, it seems to find me, not the other way around."

He huffs out a laugh and claps a hand to my shoulder. "That's what I'm worried about, son." I just roll my eyes and go upstairs to change into some shorts and a shirt I don't really care about. I'm not entirely sure what the night will hold, but since I am running with two wolves, I know it will probably involve a little rough-housing. Isaac gives me a hug and a goodnight before going to his room for bed.

Scott and Derek are downstairs at the back door when I get down there. "Okay, Scott, just make sure to always have either Derek or me in your sights at all times, and if you sense anything, get to us, or back here to the basement. Okay?" Shaking out his limbs to loosen them up, he gives me a nod and jumps up and down a few times as if he is getting ready to run a marathon. In some ways, I guess he is.

Once we get outside and past the tree line, we all let go a bit and start running. It's really nice to be able to let go every once in a while. Not having to pull back so much. I get to do this with Derek more now, but with the pull of the moon, he is a little less controlled. He gets to let his hair down as it were.

We run for a few hours before anything happens, because something always has to happen. I'm the first one to pick it up and soon after Derek and Scott hear it too. There are people moving through the woods. Some on ATV's others on foot. And here I thought we would be okay for a bit of a moonlit stroll. I keep my senses open and start to lead us away from the intruders, but that only leads us across the path of something else. An Omega, great. Derek and Scott try to go after him, but I hold them back. Good thing I did too, because not a minute later, there is the sound of gunshots and a howl of pain. Scott tries to race forward to help, but it is too late. Derek holds him back this time, but we do edge a bit closer to hear what is being said.

Once we get close enough I silently climb up a tree to get a better look at the scene, and find about five Hunters. One of which is Chris Argent and another that is quite a bit older. He must be Gerard. This is going to go so well. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Nothing, I swear." Chris isn't the most diplomatic, but seeing as this guy really hasn't done anything other than wander into Derek's territory, well, I doubt that is what he was shot for.

"You're not from here, are you?" The Omega doesn't respond so Chris shouts, "Are you!"

"No." He sounds weak, not surprising if those bullets landed and had wolfsbane in them. "I came looking for the Alpha." I look down at Derek and him up at me. This guy wanted to join the pack. "I heard he was here. That's all. Look, I didn't do anything. I didn't hurt anyone."

Then Gerard starts in. Just from the sound of his voice, I can tell that I already hate him. "Gentlemen, take a look at a rare sight. You want to tell them what we've caught?" He looks to Chris.

"An Omega."

"A lone wolf. Possibly kicked out of his own pack. Or the survivor of a pack that was hunted down. Maybe even murdered." The sound in his voice is a little too over joyous at that option. "And possibly alone by his own choice. Certainly not a wise choice." He turns back to one of his lackeys, and Chris looks vaguely uncomfortable. He pulls out a bastard sword and is looking at it like Christmas came early. "Because, as I am about to demonstrate, an Omega, rarely survives on his own."

I can hear Scott struggling against Derek, but he just pulls him into an embrace and tries to quiet him, while looking up at me. I have to look back, if I see any more of Gerard, I can't promise that I won't hurl a thousand balls of fox fire at him.

Chris finally speaks up after Gerard wipes his blade in the grass. "We have a code. We can't go around breaking it. He didn't hurt anyone; we should have let him go." Even though I doubt he would have made it much further with all that wolfsbane in his system.

"Not when they murder my daughter." Murder? I mean yeah, Peter did that, but she killed others. Not that a crazy geriatric like Gerard would care. Hell he is probably the one who came up with the plan in the first place.

And that makes me pause. Kate said that she was only following orders. If that were true, then it would mean that someone else planned it and that she was only carrying said plan out. Gerard could very well be the master mind behind the whole thing. If he is, then I am going to find out. While I don't agree with the way Peter went about doing things, I do agree that justice needs to be served. Gerard is all but declaring war against us. "No code, not anymore. From now on these things are just bodies waiting to be cut in half. Are you listening? Because I don't care if they're wounded and weak. Or seemingly harmless, begging for their life with the promise that they will never, ever hurt anyone. Or some desperate, lost soul with no idea what they're getting into. We find them. We kill them. We kill them all."

They clear out after taking care of the body. It almost seemed as if Gerard knew who was in the pack. If that is the case, then we have to be extra careful from now on. He has to have some other source of knowledge or way of getting it, if he knows that much about us. I am pretty sure that Allison isn't two timing us, but I will have to keep extra eyes on her for now just in case.

When they are finally out of range of my senses, I drop back down to the ground and silently pull Derek and Scott back to my house with me. Dad is asleep when we get in, and for that I am glad. I will tell him about what happened, but for now, he can rest easy and not have to worry.

"I can't believe they did that." Scott is in a bit of shock, so I hand him a glass of water and guide him to a chair.

"This is why I was warning you off of Allison all that time. Chris seems like a pretty stand-up guy, but I knew that he wouldn't be okay with his daughter dating a wolf. And you heard Gerard back there. He isn't giving mercy to anyone. I know that this may hurt you, but maybe you should consider taking a break with Allison. I'm sure she'd understand if you just told her what was going on."

"Stiles, I…"

"I know, Scotty, but it's just as dangerous for her as it is for you. If he finds out that his daughter is dating a wolf, then, well, I don't know what that man is capable of. He's crazy." Scott looks a bit defeated. "How about we talk to her together, let her in on what's going on, and then let her make the final choice?" Scott seems to accept that solution for now. Then I turn to Derek and he speaks before I am even given the chance.

"I will talk with Erica tomorrow. It is risky to give her the bite now. I will still give it to her if she wants it, but we have to be more careful now. Argent is a dangerous enemy, and we can't take any of them lightly."

"And here I thought we were going to have a nice lull in all the crazy that was going on."

* * *

Thank you for all your support! Please let me know what you think!


	8. Giving and Receiving of Trust

"So are you going to tell me what happened last night, or are we just going to sit here in silence until you leave for school?" Never could hide anything from dad. Not really.

"I was gonna tell you, I just haven't quite figured out how to do it yet."

Isaac looks up at me from across the table. He was still up last night when we got home and I told him what happened. He is worried, just like me. I really don't know what to do right now. "And?"

"Dad, I think this is a conversation that should wait till after school." I can't even look up and meet his gaze. He is going to try and involve himself in this and that would be really dangerous for him. More so that it already is just by having me as a son.

"Stiles, whatever it is, we can handle it together. But we will handle it together. So, spit it out."

Knowing he's not going to let this rest, "Well, you know that Derek, Scott, and I went out to run in the preserve last night, right? We kinda came across some Hunters."

Dad gives a big sigh. "More Argents?"

"Uh, yeah. It seems that with Kate's death, her father, Gerard, decided to come to town and make it his mission to wipe out all things wolfy."

"That includes you?"

"Well, I am part of the pack, so… I guess?"

"Stiles." He rolls his eyes at me and heaves another sigh.

"I know dad, this is bad. We are all going to have to lay low for a while. Derek and I have already talked to Scott, and we are just going to try our best to keep our heads down. Chris knows about all three of us, but I don't think that he has told Gerard about Scott or I."

"What about Derek?"

"There is no way that Gerard doesn't know he's here. And I can guarantee that the Argent cronies are going to tell him about me and how I stood up for him at the gas station, and that he was staying here for a while. So he will probably know about me, and know that you are involved somehow. But because you are the Sheriff, and I am your kid, he can't really make a move against me. You are too far into the public eye for him to really pull anything off."

"I feel like there's a but in there somewhere."

"Kinda? I mean, he can't do anything to you or me, but Derek is an open target. Yes, the town knows that he was staying here and that he is a friend of the Stilinski family, but he doesn't have any other ties here."

"What is it you are exactly asking here kid?"

"I was just thinking that maybe you could have a few patrols run by his building every once in a while. Just to make sure that everything is on the up and up."

"Does Derek know that you are asking this? It doesn't really seem like something that he would agree to willingly."

"Um… not exactly?" Dad shoots me a glare. "Look, he wouldn't agree to this, he would say that he can handle himself and not to worry anyone. But dad, I am worried. He has Scott, and me, and the rest of the pack now, but he is still alone for the vast majority of the day. I can't be in school and have his back at the same time."

Dad drags a hand down his face in obvious exasperation. "Why doesn't he get a job? That would take up some time and get him out of his apartment, around people. There has to be something in this town for him to do."

"I asked him that too, he said that until he has a stable pack, being the Alpha was his job." My hands go up in a defensive posture before he can respond, "I know, I know, I told him that it doesn't really work that way, but he was adamant that it was what he had to do for now."

"What is he living off of, how is he affording to live?" He sounds like he is about done with this conversation, and I can't really blame him.

"I didn't ask." I have a few theories, but they aren't ones I am going to give away to my father. If Derek wanted me to know, then he would have told me. "Maybe you can talk to him? I don't think he would go for a full-time job or anything, but maybe you can get him to volunteer at the station or something? He listens to you more than he listens to anyone else."

Dad looks at me like I'm lying, but I don't know what was wrong with that statement. "Fine, I will talk to him."

"And the patrols?" I ask hopefully.

"And the patrols, but if he starts asking questions, I am going to tell him that it was your idea."

"That's okay." I think I can handle a few extra surly glances and moody silences as long as Derek is protected like the rest of us.

We keep eating our breakfast in silence until dad looks up from the paper and his coffee. "Why are you taking it upon yourself to make sure all of this happens? Isn't that Derek's job as the Alpha?"

"I'm Derek's second, that makes this my job. He has a lot on his plate right now, so I am trying to help lighten the load a bit." Dad gives me another look, but this is one I can't decipher, so I don't even try. "We better get going, Isaac. Don't want to be late for school." He nods and goes to get his bag from upstairs.

Just as I am about to go out to the jeep to get it started, dad grabs my arm. "Son, just, be careful. Okay?"

"I always am dad."

"I know you are, your mother taught you well. I just don't want anything to happen to you, understand."

I pull him into a hug. "I know pops. Don't worry too much though; I can take care of myself." He clutches me tight, then lets me go as Isaac is headed back down the stairs. "Have a good day at school."

Well, that's one major conversation down, only a few more to go.

…

School starts off normal, just like always. But with the conversation Scott and I have to have with Allison hanging over Scott's head, he is down more than usual. I know that he really likes her, but this relationship seems like it has been doomed from the start. I know that I haven't been all the supportive of it, that I am constantly telling Scott to get out, and that it isn't really best friend behavior… but I'm worried that something is going to happen with her family and I can't let it go.

If Allison wasn't associated with a vicious Hunter family, then I would be all for the star-crossed romance. In fact, I would be willing to pass notes and messages for them. Unfortunately we are not in that fantasy world. There is a real threat just by being associated with her.

And that really sucks, because from what I have come to know about Allison, she seems pretty kick-ass. She not only helped me escape, but she can fend off the likes of Lydia and Jackson, all while dealing with her psycho family members. She has been pretty fair since Derek became the Alpha, and hasn't even judged the others when it had been made known that a few of them were considering the bite. She really has nothing against wolves, and isn't scared to be around Scott or I. I'm just worried because I don't want to see either of them hurt.

During our free period, we pull her out to the empty lacrosse field to talk. "Scott, what's wrong? You have been on edge all day?"

Scott scratches the back of his head and looks down at his toe scuffing the grass at his feet. See… Allison… I…"

"What Scotty here is trying and failing at saying is that he thinks that it might be a good idea for you two to take a break."

He looks back to me with a betrayed look on his face. "Stiles! That is not what I was-" Turning to Allison with a bit of fear, "what I was trying to say is that we heard your father and grandpa in the woods last night, and that it is going to get really dangerous for all of us if they find out we are together."

"It's already dangerous. Alli, your gramps is a few fruits short of a loop. He said that it was pretty much open season on any and all wolves, which by association means me, my dad, and Isaac. He is going to go to any means to take out all of us. He isn't following to code anymore, and if you and Scott keep your Romeo and Juliet romance going, it is going to end badly. I know you helped us, and you seem like a real cool, kick-ass, BAMF, but your family is coo-coo bananas."

Scott's heart rate skyrockets and I know that he is feeling the urge to strangle me, but she needs to know what is up. How dangerous this is for her and for us. "Stiles, I know that my family is crazy. I know that I want nothing to do with what they are about. My dad has slowly been introducing me to the code and what it is they do, but the more I see, and the better I get to know you, I can see that they are wrong. The code says that we hunt those who hunt us, and the thing is, you guys don't hunt us. They hunt you." Her use of pronouns is interesting. Definitely caught my attention. "After everything that happened last month, I know that I don't want anything to do with that unless things change. My father said that the females in our family are the ones who make the rules and decisions. I'm too new to all this to have my voice heard, but that doesn't mean that I can't keep my mouth shut and my ears open."

"Are you really offering to spy for us?" I would say I can't believe it, but Allison has proven that she isn't what is always shown on the surface.

"Yes, I am. I doubt that Derek would let me into the pack or even trust me for that matter, but I don't wish any harm on you or the pack. I really care about Scott, and I don't want to see anything happen to you guys."

"Allison, it's too dangerous!"

"Scott, I know this isn't the safe way to play this, but I've let them lie and push me around for too long now. I am so done being used like that."

Scott looks between us with incredulity. "Are you really considering this, Stiles?"

The thing is, I am. I know that Derek won't trust what she says right now, but he will trust me. "Alli, this isn't like playing superheroes. You could get really hurt. Are you willing to do that? To go against your entire family?"

"Yes. What they are doing is wrong." She didn't even hesitate, and there was no tick to her heart. I look for other signs that appear when someone is lying, sweat, eye twitches, physical ticks, nothing. She is being one hundred percent honest right now. So I do the only sane thing, I hold out my hand to her.

She smiles and shakes it. "Welcome to team supernatural!" Scott still looks like he can't believe this is happening, but now that this is settled it's time to talk business. "Okay, so we know that gramps is a special brand of evil douche-bag, but your dad went along with it. It doesn't seem like he is the kind of man to just sit idly by and let that precious code get broken for here to infinity and beyond. Try talking to him and see if he is really with Gerard, or if he could be persuaded to work against him. I don't know how you feel about your grandfather, but try and get close to him too. He seems like the kind of villain to spill all his deepest secrets to anyone willing to listen. Plus, you can learn a lot from him."

"You want me to learn to be a Hunter?"

"Yes. What better source of information than one that is part of them. You're like a double agent. Become one of them, learn their ways, so that way when push comes to claw, you know how they fight and can tell us what to expect. I don't think we are going to get out of this without a fight starting." What I'm not saying is that I have my own theory. If what Kate said was true the night she was killed, then that means she wasn't the mastermind behind the Hale fire. That she was just a soldier following orders. Even though the Argents are a self-proclaimed matriarchy, I wouldn't put it past Gerard to go above and beyond his position to get exactly what he wants.

"Okay. I can do that."

"Allison! Stiles! This is crazy! What are you guys thinking? We are only teenagers!"

"Yeah, but we are teenagers that have been dropped into the middle of a warzone. You gotta play with the hand you are dealt Scott. This is our hand, fortunately we have a pretty bad-ass one." Allison looks like she has something else to say. "Anything you'd like to share?"

"It's nothing, well, I don't know, maybe it is."

"What is it?"

"It's just that Lydia has been acting strange ever since the winter formal."

"Weird how?" If there is one thing I know from living in the town, it's that nothing is what it seems.

"I don't know, she just gets these vacant looks every once in a while. Like she is a million miles away. Most of the time I am able to pull her out of it, but they are getting stronger."

"Vacant looks?"

"Yeah, like she is hearing something that no one else can. She started writing down names whenever it happens. I only saw one of them, and when I looked it up the next day, there was an obituary. The person died the day she wrote the name.

Wow, Lydia might be a Banshee. That is an interesting development. "If she is what I think she is, you need to keep an eye on her."

"What do you think she is?"

"I don't want to say just yet in case I'm wrong, but I'll talk to Derek about it and try and find some more information. She isn't in danger, just possibly coming into some latent powers."

She nods and the bell rings, signaling that the period is over and it's time to go to our next class. Allison waves us off and Scott and I make our way back to the school.

"Stiles, I don't like this. It's too dangerous for her. What if she gets hurt?"

"Scott, it's risky for her either way, at least this way she is on our side, she is helping us, and we can help to keep an eye on her too. It works both ways you know."

"I still don't like it."

Sighing, I rest my hand on his shoulder and keep us walking. "You don't have to like it, Scott, you just have to accept it as reality."

…

When I get out of school there is a text waiting on my phone from Derek.

'Come over asap'

So I guess that means he knows about the patrols running around his building. I text him that I am picking up some pizzas and that I will be right over. Then I text Erica asking if she can get Boyd to pick up Isaac and Scott on his way over with them.

Once I get in the door, Derek has the pizzas out of my hands and me pulled into the center of the room. "You had a detail put on me!"

"Remember what we said about punctuation? That should have ended in a question mark, not an exclamation point."

"Stiles" It comes out a growl, but I can't help it. I love getting a reaction out of him.

"Yes, I put a detail on you."

"Why."

"Because you are by yourself for about nine hours a day, longer if you include the time when you are sleeping. There are Hunters out there who mean to kill you, Derek. It's my job as your second to make sure that this pack stays safe. You do a pretty damn good job about taking care of us, but a pretty shitty one of taking care of yourself. You won't get a job, and I get why, but it also leaves you exposed. If the Hunters see that you are being watched, or at least think that you are, then they aren't going to move against you."

"Stiles, I can't-"

"Can't what? Stay safe? Let someone else take care of you? Cause that is all bullshit and you know it. Now, if you would do something with your spare time, like say, volunteer at the Sherriff's department, then you would have ties to the community, people who see you on a regular basis, and possibly let yourself move on from whatever it is that is keeping you back. Did I miss anything?"

He doesn't respond, just turns and looks out the window with a tense line to his shoulders.

I hate doing that, but he needs more reality checks than even Scott. So I step up beside him and brush against his shoulder to let him know I'm there. "Look, I'm sorry I yelled, but you gotta take care of yourself here too. If you get caught and killed, that leaves Scott alone with me. He needs you, the pack needs you. I know it's hard to ask for help, believe me I know, but you have people to help you now. Lean on us and we will lean on you. I'm just trying to do what you asked me to."

"I know. I'm sorry that I'm making all of this harder than it needs to be. You're right, I need to get out of this apartment."

"Good, I will tell dad to expect you tomorrow at the station at eleven. Don't know what he will have for you to do, but I'm sure he's got something." I move back to my backpack that I dropped by the coffee table and reach down to open it up and take out a sheath of cloth.

"What's that?" Derek followed me over. Standing up and turning to face him, I hold it out for him to take. When he uncovers it, his eyes go wide. "Stiles, I can't take this, this is your tail!"

"Derek, I'm asking you to keep my tail safe. You're my Alpha, I trust you with my life. I am trusting you with my life." I pause to gather my thoughts for a moment. "You know what happens when a Kitsune breaks their only tail, right?"

"You lose your immortality. Stiles, I don't think you should be giving this to me." He tries to give it back but I step back and push it back toward him.

"No, I think you are exactly who I should trust with it. I know that you will guard it with your life. I know that if it is with you, it won't be stolen by someone who would use it against me. You are letting me take care of you, now I'm asking that you take care of this for me." He looks resistant for a little while longer, but finally relents and goes down the hall to his bedroom. I hear a few things moving around, but I don't follow and start to focus on the noises coming from outside to get myself out of the apartment. I really do trust Derek. If he doesn't believe that now, I don't know what else I can do to show him.

He comes back about five minutes later and rests a hand on the back of my neck. "Thank you for putting your trust in me. I won't let you down."

"Didn't think you would, Sourwolf. Now, I can hear Boyd's car down the street, better get ready for the hormone infusion to start." He rolls his eyes and squeezes the back of my neck before walking into the kitchen to grab plates and drinks for everyone.

Erica, Isaac, and Boyd walk in all talking and in good spirits, but Scott is still carrying the vestiges of our conversation with Allison. As he walks by I punch him in the arm and he mellows out a bit.

The pizza is gone within a few minutes and Derek is tense as we clean up. "Okay, what has got your undies in a bundle, O Alpha, my Alpha?"

"There is something I need to talk to you about before we go through with this."

She looks like she is ready to tear his balls off. "I swear to God if you ask me if I'm sure I want this one more time, I-"

"-no, that's not it. I just wanted to warn you. Last night on our full moon run, we ran into an Omega."

"Okay? What's the big deal then?"

"Before we could reach him, he was trapped by the Argents."

I can tell that Derek really doesn't want to talk about this, that it hits a bit close to home. So I take over. "And let's just say that they were less than welcoming. Gerard, Allison's grandpa, cut him clean in half with a bastard sword. Then he went on to spew some garbage about how he is throwing away the code and he is going to kill any wolf, no matter who they are. Derek just wants you to know that right now is going to be a dangerous time to be starting all of this. You are going to have to be extra careful not to step one toe out of line or give them a reason to kill you other than just existing."

Derek nods. "I am still willing to give you the bite if you want it, I just wanted you to know how much danger you will be in now if you take it."

She seems to think it over a bit, withdrawing into herself a little. When she looks up, there is a look of determination on her face. "I want it. You have told me what is out to get me, and I know the dangers, but I want the bite. Not only will this help me, but you said that a larger pack is stronger, right? That you are stronger with more wolves?"

"That is true, with numbers come strength, but that isn't a reason to make this decision, it has to be about you, not me."

"This is about me. I'm tired of being weak, of being a freak. I want to live a life where I don't have to worry if I am going to seize up at any given time. I want to learn how to drive. I want to help protect my friends. I want to do this for me. Helping you out is just one of the benefits."

Derek looks stunned at her deceleration. Slowly, he gets up and walks over to her and hold out his hand which she stands to accept. "It would be an honor to bring you into the pack." Somehow I feel like this is a more formal method of doing things. Maybe it's in one of the books that Derek has from when his mother was the Alpha. Is there werewolf protocol? I will have to ask him that later.

They go into the spare bedroom and close the door. This is for a bit of privacy. A few minutes later after a sharp cry from Erica, they come back out with her holding her side in obvious pain. When she sits, Scott is there to start drawing it away from her with Derek. After she is relaxed a bit, I start to tell Derek about our new spy in the enemy camp.

"So, Scotty and I had an interesting conversation with Allison today."

"Oh, really?" Derek's eyebrows raise so high that I think they might run away into this forehead.

"Yeah, we were talking about them going on a break, but came to a different conclusion instead."

"Stiles."

He says it with is typical loathing that is only ever directed at me. "We did. She doesn't agree with anything her crazy family is about. She doesn't even want to go through the training to join the 'family business'. But I convinced her otherwise."

"You told her to become a Hunter?" Isaac asks tentatively, like he couldn't believe I would suggest such a thing.

"Yeah, I did. I said that if she was willing, she should learn whatever she can from them, and then tell us all about it. That she should try and get close to Gerard, so she can find out what his plans for the pack are. I told her it would put her in a very precarious position, and that she would effectively be betraying her family, but she wants to do it. I know you don't fully trust her, Derek, for that matter, neither do I. But if we are going to give her a chance, this is it."

"How do you know she isn't already double crossing us? After all, she is so willing to do so to her own flesh and blood."

Scott makes a wounded noise, but I just keep going as if I didn't hear it. "Because I was listening to her heartbeat, watched her pupils, and looked for the other signs of someone telling a lie. I've gotten pretty good at it over the years, seeing as who my dad is, and she was being one hundred percent honest with me. She doesn't like what her family is doing, and she doesn't want to have any part of it. She knows that she has to prove herself to you, so she is going to try."

Derek thinks it over for a few minutes. This is going to be hard for him, to trust an Argent. After what Kate put him through, I wouldn't hold it against him to never trust Allison, no matter how different she is from her dead aunt. "Okay. I want you to be her contact. Scott, know the two of you are dating, but official reports about their plans and anything that they are doing is to be told directly to Stiles." Scott was going to protest, but he knows that it is for the best and just stays silent. "Make sure she knows that."

He doesn't say anything about trusting her, or letting her into the pack, but he does trust my judgment. Even if it takes a little bit for it to sink in.

After that, the night devolves into a movie night and we all hang out while Erica starts the change. There is not pain past the initial bite, and even that starts to go away after a while. So we know that it took and that tomorrow when we wake up, there will be one more wolf added to the pack.

* * *

I am so sorry that this took forever to update! I was just slacking and have no excuses for you.

A thousand apologies.

Hopefully this chapter was enough to make up for it!

As always, thank you for your support and please don't be afraid to let me know what you think!


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